A Legacy
of Discovery

Dr. Jacob Zabara, a Philadelphia-based neuroscientist, is often credited with the invention of modern vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). In 1971, Dr. Zabara was intrigued by how controlled breathing could manage pain during childbirth and focused his research on the vagus nerve. He hypothesized the vagus nerve carried information not only from the brain, as was commonly accepted at the time, but also to the brain. This theory led him to develop a patent for the treatment of medication-resistant epilepsy, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1997, and several other patents that are still in use today. Currently, VNS holds promise for Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, migraines, depression and other conditions, solidifying Dr. Zabara’s lasting impact on the study of neuromodulation.

Dr. Zabara was captivated by Descartes’ 1644 Principles of Philosophy and his concept of the separation between mind (or soul) and brain, which was widely accepted in Western civilization. In this sketch, Descartes depicted the reflex, when external stimuli are translated into an act of will at the pineal gland, what he believed to be the intersection between mind and brain. This mind-brain duality has posed significant challenges in fields such as neurocybernetics and psychobiology. Dr. Zabara’s research led him to believe that mind-brain duality was not a necessary construct and instead, the nervous system was an integrated unit with autoregulated stimuli and feedback. He spent much of his research engineering devices to restore autoregulation in the human body.

Dr. Zabara’s groundbreaking work has profoundly impacted neuromodulation, improving countless lives. Today, his legacy of innovation carries on through the Foundation.