The Great Nerve: The vagus nerve, a complex bundle of 200,000 fibers connecting the brain to vital organs, has remained a medical enigma for centuries. While it regulates essential bodily functions like heart rate, breathing, and immune responses, its dysfunction can contribute to inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, depression, cancer, and diabetes. Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, unveils the vagus nerve’s secrets in his forthcoming book entitled The Great Nerve (Penguin Random House), which explores its potential to revolutionize disease treatment without medications. Currently available for pre-order, The Great Nerve will be formally released on May 13, 2025.
In his book, The Great Nerve, Dr. Tracey, often referred to as the founding father of bioelectronic medicine — a new category of medicine integrating neuroscience, immunology, and biomedical engineering — examines the history of the vagus nerve alongside his lab’s pivotal discoveries. He explains how stimulating the vagus nerve with small electrical impulses offers new hope for patients suffering from their condition and the debilitating side effects of corresponding treatments. Additionally, he reviews popular lifestyle strategies, such as ice baths, meditation, exercise, and breathwork, that can enhance and maintain vagus nerve function.
“After an unexpected experiment in my research lab many years ago, I became fascinated by the intricate power of the vagus nerve, a hidden pathway with the potential to revolutionize how we treat disease. In The Great Nerve I tell the behind-the-scenes stories from my lab as well as the stories from patients who have been among the first to benefit from these new ideas,” said Dr. Tracey, executive vice president of research at Northwell Health and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. “My hope is that these stories will ignite a spark of curiosity that empowers readers to understand their own vagus nerve and the potential it holds to transform the future of medicine.”
Decades ago, Dr. Tracey and his team uncovered a connection between the vagus nerve and body’s immune system they named the “inflammatory reflex.” This crucial discovery catalyzed the formation of new companies and initiated clinical trials investigating vagus nerve stimulation devices as a treatment for inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. Several of these trials have already yielded positive results, and ongoing studies for rheumatoid arthritis, which are nearing conclusion, have been granted Breakthrough Device Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Measured by and reported in the scientific journal PLOS One, Dr. Tracey is one of the most highly cited living scientists in the world. His extensive body of work, published in collaboration with over 1,000 co-authors, collaborators, postdoctoral researchers, and students, has led to groundbreaking discoveries that have significantly advanced clinical practice. Holding over 120 U.S. patents and authoring more than 400 scientific publications, Dr. Tracey also co-founded the Global Sepsis Alliance, a non-profit that supports over a million sepsis caregivers in more than 70 countries. He also authored Fatal Sequence (Dana Press) and lectures worldwide on topics including inflammation, sepsis, neuroimmunology, and bioelectronic medicine.
Dr. Tracey received his BS in chemistry from Boston College in 1979 and his MD from Boston University in 1983. He trained in neurosurgery from 1983 to 1992 at the New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center and was a guest investigator at Rockefeller University before moving to the Feinstein Institutes in 1992. In 2005, he was appointed president and CEO of the Institutes, where he currently directs the Laboratory of Biomedical Science.
Among his other honors, last year, Dr. Tracey was elected as a Fellow to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences for his pioneering work in bioelectronic medicine. This election, which is considered one of the highest international honors for engineers and scientists, will be recognized at the Academy in October 2025. In 2023, Dr. Tracey was the recipient of the Hans Wigzell Research Foundation’s Science Prize in recognition of his significant contributions to the fields of neuroscience and neuroimmunology.
