Published on November 21, 2018 | Updated on December 9, 2019

STIMADOM - Luis GARCIA LARREA

Relieving chronic pains by performing transcranial stimulation without leaving home

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the sensorimotor cortex has recently emerged as a therapeutic alternative for chronic pain, because of its simplicity of use, safety and low cost but it faces a problem of durability. Since its use is currently only possible in hospitals, and due to the lack of availability, patients usually benefit from one-time sessions. These problems could be solved by using home stimulation. The current methods make it technically possible to set the characteristics remotely, to monitor the stimulation and to have a real-time feedback of the patient's experience. We are now testing the use of an at home neurostimulation system in a cohort of patients with neuropathic pain who are resistant to pharmacological treatments. The system used, ensuring the connection and control of the remote stimulation, was developed by Starlab-NeuroElectrics®. This project has a strong potential for medical and societal enhancement, by improving the comfort of patients with motor or sensory disabilities, who will be able to perform stimulation sessions without leaving their homes.