Methods and systems for reducing inflammation by neuromodulation of T-cell activity
View Patent ↗Described herein are devices, systems and method of treating inflammation, including methods of treating a T-cell mediated disease. In particular, described herein are methods of treating inflammation including the steps of stimulating a subject's inflammatory reflex to inhibit the immune response and administering a T-cell modifying agent to modify the activity of splenic T-cells. Also described herein are systems for treating inflammation including an inflammatory reflex stimulation module and a T-cell response modifying module. The T-cell response modifying module typically modifies the response of splenic T-cells to enhance or otherwise regulate the effect of stimulation of the inflammatory reflex.
1. A method of treating an inflammatory response, the method comprising:
stimulating a subject's inflammatory reflex to inhibit the immune response by stimulating the subject's vagus nerve, wherein the stimulation is selected from the group consisting of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve and mechanical stimulation of the vagus nerve, wherein the step of stimulating the subject's inflammatory reflex is repeated at regular intervals of at least about 4 hours; and
administering an AChE inhibitor.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of stimulating the subject's inflammatory reflex comprises electrically stimulating the subject's inflammatory reflex to inhibit the immune response.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of administering the AChE inhibitor comprises systemic administration of the AChE inhibitor.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of administering the AChE inhibitor comprises administering the AChE inhibitor before stimulating the inflammatory reflex.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of stimulating the inflammatory reflex comprises repeatedly and periodically stimulating the subject's inflammatory reflex.
6. A method of treating an inflammatory response, the method comprising:
stimulating a subject's inflammatory reflex to inhibit the immune response by stimulating the subject's vagus nerve, wherein the stimulation is selected from the group consisting of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve and mechanical stimulation of the vagus nerve, wherein the step of stimulating the subject's inflammatory reflex is repeated at regular intervals of at least about 4 hours; and
administering a glucocorticoid.
7. A method of treating an inflammatory response, the method comprising:
stimulating a subject's inflammatory reflex to inhibit the immune response by stimulating the subject's vagus nerve, wherein the stimulation is selected from the group consisting of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve and mechanical stimulation of the vagus nerve, wherein the step of stimulating the subject's inflammatory reflex is repeated at regular intervals of at least about 4 hours; and
administering an immunosuppressive agent.
8. A method of treating an inflammatory response, the method comprising:
mechanically stimulating a subject's inflammatory reflex to inhibit the immune response by stimulating the subject's vagus nerve, wherein the step of stimulating the subject's inflammatory reflex is repeated at regular intervals of at least about 4 hours; and
administering an AChE inhibitor.
9. A method of treating an inflammatory response, the method comprising:
stimulating a subject's inflammatory reflex to inhibit the immune response by stimulating the subject's vagus nerve, wherein the stimulation is selected from the group consisting of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve and mechanical stimulation of the vagus nerve; and
administering an AChE inhibitor, wherein the step of administering the AChE inhibitor comprises local administration of the AChE inhibitor to the splenic region.