Similar outcomes might be attained utilizing electrical stimulation devices, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units. The researchers hope that their outcomes will lead to a treatment for chronic pain thats more secure and more accessible than drug treatments.
” Chronic pain is a big issue for a lot of individuals, and for a lot of, its not sufficiently treatable,” said Cory Gloeckner, lead author on the paper, a 2017 Ph.D. alumnus of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Department of Biomedical Engineering, and an assistant professor at John Carroll University. “Right now, one of the ways that we attempt to deal with pain is opioids, and we all know that doesnt work out well for numerous people. Its not some expensive medical device that you have to purchase in order to treat your pain.
During the experiments, the researchers played broadband sound while electrically promoting various parts of the body in guinea pigs. They discovered that the combination of the 2 activated neurons in the brains somatosensory cortex. This is the location that is accountable for touch and pain sensations throughout the body..
Similar outcomes could be accomplished utilizing electrical stimulation devices, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units. The scientists hope that their results will lead to a therapy for persistent pain thats more secure and more available than drug treatments.
” Chronic discomfort is a substantial concern for a great deal of people, and for the majority of, its not adequately treatable,” stated Cory Gloeckner, lead author on the paper, a 2017 Ph.D. alumnus of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Department of Biomedical Engineering, and an assistant teacher at John Carroll University. “Right now, among the methods that we try to treat discomfort is opioids, and we all understand that doesnt exercise well for lots of people. This, on the other hand, is a non-invasive, basic application. Its not some pricey medical device that you need to purchase in order to treat your pain. Its something that we believe would be offered to basically anyone since of its low expense and simpleness.”.
The research team plans to continue investigating this “multimodal” method to treating various neurological conditions. Possibly in the future, they can integrate music therapy to see how they can further customize the somatosensory cortex.
” A great deal of people have been utilizing acupuncture or electrical stimulation– non-invasive or invasive– to try to change brain activity for pain,” stated Hubert Lim, senior author on the paper and a professor in the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Otolaryngology. “Our research study shows that when you integrate this with sound, the brain illuminate a lot more.”.
Lim stated this opens up a whole brand-new field of using this bimodal and multimodal stimulation for treating illness.
” Its odd to think about using noise to treat discomfort, however if you consider what institutes like the University of Minnesotas Center for Spirituality and Healing or the NIHs National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health are doing, theyre looking at music treatment and integrating other methods with the conventional approaches to be able to boost recovery of these types of conditions,” Lim said. “This research provides us a brand-new, structured framework for doing that moving on.”.
Reference: “Widespread and topographic auditory modulation of the somatosensory cortex: capacity for bimodal sound and body stimulation for discomfort treatment” by Cory D Gloeckner, Jian C Nocon and Hubert H Lim, 23 June 2022, Journal of Neural Engineering.DOI: 10.1088/ 1741-2552/ ac7665.
The research study was moneyed by the National Science Foundation, the Lions Hearing Foundation, the University of Minnesota Interdisciplinary Fellowship, and University of Minnesota Lab Startup Funds..
In addition to Gloeckner and Lim, the research study group consisted of University of Minnesota Twin Cities Department of Biomedical Engineering alumnus Jian Nocon (B.S. BME 17).
A University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led group has found that electrical stimulation of the body combined with sound triggers the brains somatosensory cortex, increasing the potential for using the method to deal with persistent pain and other sensory disorders. Credit: SONIC Lab, University of Minnesota
A new method could alleviate discomfort for people with numerous chronic and neurological conditions.
Scientists have actually found that electrical stimulation of the body integrated with sound triggers the brains somatosensory or “tactile” cortex, increasing the capacity for using the technique to deal with persistent discomfort and other sensory disorders. The non-invasive technique was evaluated on animals and the group is planning scientific trials on humans in the near future.
A University of Minnesota Twin Cities-led group conducted the research study. The paper was released recently in the Journal of Neural Engineering, a highly regarded, peer-reviewed clinical journal for the interdisciplinary field of neural engineering..