Electrical stimulation as a promising therapeutic in inflammatory bowel disease: a scoping review / estimulação

The central nervous system has extensive innervation spread to the gastrointestinal tract, providing the possibility for using nerve stimulation to treat gastrointestinal diseases, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). This review aimed to carry out a bibliographic survey of the primary clinical studies that correlate IBD treatment with neural electrical stimulation. The following databases were consulted: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and BioMed. A total of 477 articles were screened at the titles and abstract level, of which 210 were also assessed at the full text for eligibility. The eleven articles identified for inclusion were selected in this review. The search terms used for the search included: "electrical stimulation", "electrical neuromodulation", "inflammatory bowel disease", "ulcerative colitis", and "Crohn’s Disease". The nerves modulate inflammation in the gut, however, the clinical protocols for anti-inflammatory effects have had variable success. There is still little scientific evidence for an accurate clinical decision for using this electroceutical approach. Therefore, further studies are needed to reduce the heterogeneity of clinical protocols.