#$%^&*AU2012202405A120120517.pdf#####ABSTRACT Disclosed herein are methods, systems, and apparatus for treating a medical condition of a patient, involving detecting a physiological cycle or cycles of the patient and applying an electrical signal to a portion of the patients vagus nerve through an electrode at a selected point 5 in the physiological cycle(s). The physiological cycle can be the cardiac and/or respiratory cycle. The selected point can be a point in the cardiac cycle correlated with increased afferent conduction on the vagus nerve, such as a point from about 10 msec to about 800 msec after an Rwave of the patients ECG, optionally during inspiration by the patient. The selected point can be a point in the cardiac cycle when said applying increases heart rate variability, such as a point 10 from about 10 msec to about 800 msec after an R-wave of the patients ECG, optionally during expiration by the patient.
