A new headset device aims to make EEG neurofeedback treatment more accessible to people with chronic pain, which means that expensive and complicated laboratory-based devices, as shown, are no longer required
A headset that harnesses the power of thinking could be used to treat chronic pain.
In one small study, patients experienced significant pain relief after wearing the device that “reads” their brainwaves and then trained their brains to better manage symptoms.
After eight weeks of using the headset, sleep, mood, and quality of life improved, and anxiety and depression were relieved.
Chronic pain – defined as pain that persists for more than three months despite treatment – that is moderately to severely disabling, affects eight million adults in the UK.
Common causes are arthritis, back problems, and migraines.
Treatment options range from physical therapy to pain relievers, but they won’t work for all and the drugs can have side effects and be addictive.
The headset uses electroencephalogram (EEG) technology, which attaches electrodes to the scalp that record electrical activity in the brain.
EEG machines are widely used to diagnose conditions such as epilepsy. They can also be adapted for neurofeedback therapy, where the electrical data is sent to an app that the patient can access to help them control their brain activity and improve their symptoms.
EEG neurofeedback is not widely used in the NHS, in part because it is expensive and requires hospital visits several times a week for several weeks.
But the new headset called the Axon allows patients to try it out at home.
“EEG neurofeedback is designed to change the way the brain interprets pain signals,” explains Nick Birch, spinal surgeon at the East Midlands Spine Clinic in Daventry, Northamptonshire, who led the study, which was funded by Exsurgo.
“We feel pain when specialized receptors in the skin, joints and organs send messages via nerves to the brain, which interprets them as pain.”
In chronic pain caused by a disease like arthritis, “the brain receives signals like this all the time – EEG neurofeedback aims to train it to interpret these signals differently,” he says.
“If a person can suppress the ‘pain brain waves’ and amplify the ‘non-pain brain waves’ through neurofeedback training, they can alleviate their pain.”
Chronic pain, including migraines, can be better treated with a device that “reads” a patient’s mind …
The headset contains eight electrodes positioned around the scalp that pick up electrical activity associated with pain. This data is transferred to an app on the patient’s cell phone and fed into a series of games. Examples are an activity where the patient wants to make a lotus flower grow and an activity where the patient makes a balloon float.
Patients use their brainwaves to play games and, through a process of trial and error, learn what thought patterns are associated with success in games.
Crucially, the same brain activity associated with pain relief also causes the flower to grow and the balloon to float. Over time, the patient learns to control this brain activity so that they experience less pain. In other words, it no longer interprets the pain signals as painful.
In one study, 16 people with chronic pain received the headsets at home for eight weeks. All participants reported that their pain improved, with half achieving a “clinically significant” reduction, defined as at least 30 percent.
Sleep, mood, quality of life, and anxiety and depression all improved in about 90 percent of the participants, and many still felt the benefits three months later.
The side effects were initially limited to headache, which was believed to be caused by the initial tightness of the headset.
The hope is that the cap will be available early next year. A larger study of more than 100 people with chronic pain is slated to begin shortly in New Zealand.
A portable EEG neurofeedback device is an “exciting development,” says Dr. Nick Silver, Consultant Neurologist at the Walton Center in Liverpool.
“While the evidence is still in its early stages, it is encouraging that early data show that treatment can benefit other functions such as sleep and mood.
“It is exciting to think that we are entering an era where we can rely on safe, non-invasive brain treatments unlike medication, especially when pain relievers can cause problems, including possible long-term worsening of pain.”
© Daily Mail