A novel theta-controlled vibrotactile brain-computer interface to treat chronic pain: a pilot study.
Sci Rep
; 14(1): 3433, 2024 02 10.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38341457
ABSTRACT
Limitations in chronic pain therapies necessitate novel interventions that are effective, accessible, and safe. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide a promising modality for targeting neuropathology underlying chronic pain by converting recorded neural activity into perceivable outputs. Recent evidence suggests that increased frontal theta power (4-7 Hz) reflects pain relief from chronic and acute pain. Further studies have suggested that vibrotactile stimulation decreases pain intensity in experimental and clinical models. This longitudinal, non-randomized, open-label pilot study's objective was to reinforce frontal theta activity in six patients with chronic upper extremity pain using a novel vibrotactile neurofeedback BCI system. Patients increased their BCI performance, reflecting thought-driven control of neurofeedback, and showed a significant decrease in pain severity (1.29 ± 0.25 MAD, p = 0.03, q = 0.05) and pain interference (1.79 ± 1.10 MAD p = 0.03, q = 0.05) scores without any adverse events. Pain relief significantly correlated with frontal theta modulation. These findings highlight the potential of BCI-mediated cortico-sensory coupling of frontal theta with vibrotactile stimulation for alleviating chronic pain.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Neurorretroalimentação
/
Dor Crônica
/
Interfaces Cérebro-Computador
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
/
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article