A new study from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) has found that electrical stimulation of a deep, middle brain structure blocks pain signals at the spinal cord level—no drugs involved. In addition, say the researchers, the process also triggers the release of beneficial dopamine, which may reduce the emotional distress associated with long-term pain.
Electrical Stimulation of Brain Blocks Pain at Spinal Cord
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“This is the first study to use a wireless electrical device to alleviate pain by directly stimulating the ventral tegmental area of the brain, ” said Yuan Bo Peng, Ph.D. UTA psychology professor, in the April 4, 2016 news release. “While still under laboratory testing, this new method does provide hope that in the future we will be able to alleviate chronic pain without the side effects of medications.”
Dr. Peng and J.-C. Chiao, Ph.D., an electrical engineering professor at UTA, published their findings in the journal Experimental Brain Research. Professor Xiaofei Yang, Ph.D., an electrical engineering professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, also participated in the study.
Dr. Peng told OTW, “This line of research is important because near 50% of patients who seek medical help do so because of pain. Over 100 million Americans experience chronic pain, costing Americans over half a trillion annually in lost wages, medical care, and quality of life. Chronic pain makes people suffer and increases the socioeconomic burden.”
“We were able to demonstrate that the ventral tegmental area (VTA) which is a part of neural circuitry that involves pleasure, reward, and addiction, has a antinociceptive effect.
“Most pain patients that orthopedic surgeons face are due to nerve compression, such as protruded disc or spinal stenosis in the cervical or lumbar sacral regions that results in neuropathic pain in upper and lower extremities, respectively. Whether deep brain stimulation can relieve this type of neuropathic pain is a big challenge. With enough funding and effort, our group can explore the potential mechanisms in this direction by performing basic biomedical research.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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