Research

Nerve pain: new therapy allows self management on demand

Thanks to a new neurofeedback (NFB) treatment, people with neuropathic (nerve) pain will be able to immediately reduce discomfort by self regulating their brain activity on demand, minimising or completely replacing prescription drugs and their problematic side effects.

The neurotechnology, based on non-invasive, self-regulation, brain activity, helps people who suffer from intolerable side-effects of pain medications, to reduce or eliminate the need for drugs, thereby minimising or removing completely their side effects.

The treatment helps people actively manage their pain on demand.

Alternatives to pharmacological solutions for chronic pain are emerging, especially in the US, making this new therapy a potentially significant and growing market opportunity. The system uses known hardware and software based on established NFB techniques. The technology is based on a custom-made software application that can be used with a range of Electroencephalography (EEG) hardware.

Separate from the EEG data collection unit, working with patients has enabled the co-design of the application, which has a graphical user interface for gaming, a pain diary and dedicated pages for setting up EEG features.

EEG is a diagnostic method used for monitoring brain activity and is generally non-invasive. Wearable headsets, using strategically placed electrodes around the head, detect brain signals which can be analysed to provide insights in understanding brain processes and triggers.

Thanks to the teams unique signal processing capabilities, early stage proof of concept has been completed on the assembly of a commercial EEG headset, with custom software based on established protocols and custom signal processing.

In a small trial, 20 participants with chronic spinal cord injury were trained to use the system at home with 75% reporting pain reduction, 40% of which was a clinically significant reduction (>30%).

Wider research has proved the efficacy of NFB for the following range of chronic pain conditions:

• Fibromyalgia
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Stroke
• Post Herpetic Neuralgia
• Post Treatment Cancer Pain
• Lower Back Pain
• Migraine

Chronic neuropathic pain affects up to 8% of the population and is a growing concern. Pharmacological solutions are the most common prescription with associated issues of side effects, addictive nature and low effectiveness.

Next steps

The team are looking for a partner who would be interested in creating a combined hardware and software solution that could be CE marked.

To find out more, please contact: Dr Aleksandra Vuckovic