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First developed as a treatment for refractory epilepsy, VNS has been available for that purpose in the United States since 1977. The treatment consists of the surgical implantation of a small generator (approximately the size of a pocket watch) in the chest and is thus similar to the implantation of a cardiac pacemaker. The VNS generator is attached to the vagus nerve, which goes directly to the brain, and can be programmed to stimulate the nerve. It is not known how this stimulation of the brain improves symptoms. The implantation procedure can be done as outpatient surgery and costs between $12,000 and $25,000.
VNS is being used experimentally for some cases of sever depression, manic-depressive illness, and schizophrenia. It is too early to tell what role, if any, VNS will play in treatment.
Surviving Schizophrenia, E. Fuller Torrey, M.D.