By Amy Norton

HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, July 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Electronic stimulation of a nerve running from the brain to the gut may help ease stubborn symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, preliminary research suggests.

The study, of 17 adults with the painful autoimmune disease, tested the effects of vagus nerve stimulation -- a technique long used to control seizures in some people with epilepsy.

It found that over six weeks, most of the patients showed some improvements in joint swelling and other symptoms.