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Brain stimulation methods for pain treatment.
Eugen Kvašňák1, Richard Rokyta
1Department of Medical Biophysics and Medical Informatics, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. eugen.kvasnak@lf3.cuni.cz.
General Physiology and Biophysics
|August 1, 2018
Summary
This review explores brain stimulation techniques for pain management. It covers invasive, semi-invasive, and non-invasive methods, including transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulation, to modulate pain signals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Pain management is a critical medical objective.
- Brain stimulation techniques have been developed over decades to modulate pain.
- These methods range from invasive to non-invasive approaches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive overview of brain stimulation methods for pain modulation.
- To discuss both deep brain and cortical stimulation techniques.
- To introduce interferential transcranial alternating current as a potential pain treatment.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on brain stimulation for pain.
- Categorization of methods into invasive, semi-invasive, and non-invasive.
- Inclusion of transcranial magnetic and electrical stimulation techniques.
- Discussion of deep brain stimulation approaches.
Main Results:
- Various brain stimulation methods exist for pain modulation.
- Invasive and semi-invasive techniques target deep brain structures.
- Non-invasive methods like transcranial magnetic and electrical stimulation target the brain cortex.
- Interferential transcranial alternating current is presented as a novel approach.
Conclusions:
- Brain stimulation offers diverse strategies for pain treatment.
- A range of techniques, from deep brain to cortical stimulation, are available.
- Further research into methods like interferential transcranial alternating current may yield new pain therapies.
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