Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38341457›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2024

A novel theta-controlled vibrotactile brain-computer interface to treat chronic pain: a pilot study.

Phillip Demarest, Nabi Rustamov, James Swift, Tao Xie, Markus Adamek, Hohyun Cho, Elizabeth Wilson, Zhuangyu Han, Alexander Belsten, Nicholas Luczak and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
5.5field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Phillip DemarestDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Nabi RustamovDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
James SwiftDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Tao XieDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Markus AdamekDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Hohyun ChoDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Elizabeth WilsonDivision of Clinical and Translational Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Zhuangyu HanDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Alexander BelstenDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Nicholas LuczakDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Peter BrunnerDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Simon HaroutounianDivision of Clinical and Translational Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
Eric C LeuthardtDivision of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA. leuthardte@wustl.edu.
Washington University in St. Louis · US

Funding

Training and DisseminationP41EB018783 · NIBIB · WADSWORTH CENTER · PI Jonathan Saul Carp · 2014 to 2026
$15.4M
BCI2000: Software Resource for Adaptive Neurotechnology ResearchU24NS109103 · NINDS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI BRUNNER, PETER · 2019 to 2024
$2.8M
BCI2000+: A Software Platform for Adaptive NeurotechnologiesR01EB026439 · NIBIB · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI BRUNNER, PETER · 2018 to 2022
$1.5M
NIBIB NIH HHS P41 EB018783NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB026439NINDS NIH HHS U24 NS109103
6 · The paper itself

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.

Indexed as

Brain-Computer InterfacesChronic PainNeurofeedbackElectroencephalographyHumansLongitudinal StudiesNon-Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicPilot Projects

Identifiers

PMID38341457
PMCPMC10858946
OpenAlexW4391715150

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.