This paper develops a wireless battery-free implantable device for selective vagus nerve stimulation, demonstrating reduced off-target effects in pigs and a human trial.

Journal of Neural Engineering · Sep 14, 2026Peer-reviewedBioengineering

Anatomical and functional organization of cardiac fibers in the porcine cervical vagus nerve allows spatially selective efferent neuromodulation

Nicole Thompson, Enrico Ravagli, Svetlana Mastitskaya, Ronald Challita, Joseph E. Hadaya, Francesco Iacoviello, Ahmad Shah Idil, Paul Robert Shearing, Olujimi Adeoluwa Ajijola, Jeffrey L. Ardell, Kalyanam Shivkumar, David S. Holder, Kirill Y. Aristovich

This paper demonstrates spatially-selective vagus nerve stimulation (sVNS) can target cardiac efferent fibers to decrease heart rate without stimulating afferent-related reflexes, improving precision and efficacy of neuromodulation for cardiac disease.

bioRxiv · Jan 9, 2024 · PreprintNeuroscience

Innervation and Neuronal Control of the Mammalian Sinoatrial Node: A Comprehensive Atlas

Peter Hanna, Michael J. Dacey, Jaclyn Ann Brennan, Alison Moss, Shaina Robbins, Sirisha Achanta, Natália P. Biscola, Mohammed Amer Swid, Pradeep Sundaram Rajendran, Shumpei Mori, Joseph E. Hadaya, Elizabeth H. Smith, Stanley G. Peirce, Jin Chen, Leif A. Havton, , Kalyanam Shivkumar

The paper creates a comprehensive neuroanatomic atlas of the RAGP-SAN complex in porcine and human hearts, showing how intrinsic cardiac neurons control SAN automaticity and cardiac function.

Circulation Research · Feb 25, 2021Peer-reviewedNeuroscience