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Updated: Sep 2, 2025
Author Spotlight: Insights into Remotely Supervised Neuromodulation Procedure for Phantom Limb Pain
Published on: March 1, 2024
Neurofeedback Training without Explicit Phantom Hand Movements and Hand-Like Visual Feedback to Modulate Pain: A
Takufumi Yanagisawa1, Ryohei Fukuma1, Ben Seymour2
1Osaka University, Institute for Advanced Co-Creation Studies, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories, Department of Neuroinformatics, 2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan.
Neurofeedback training can alter sensorimotor cortical representations and reduce phantom limb pain. This method modifies brain activity related to phantom limbs without requiring physical movements or visual cues.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pain Management
- Rehabilitation
Background:
- Phantom limb pain is linked to abnormal sensorimotor cortical representations.
- Existing research is confounded by phantom limb movements.
- Novel methods are needed to investigate the causal link between cortical representations and pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and test neurofeedback training to modify sensorimotor cortical representations.
- To assess the feasibility of this neurofeedback in patients with phantom limb pain.
- To determine if changes in cortical representation correlate with pain modulation.
Main Methods:
- A single-blind, randomized, crossover trial was conducted with fourteen patients.
- Neurofeedback used magnetoencephalograms to decode motor cortical currents during phantom hand movements.
- Two decoders targeted contralateral or ipsilateral motor cortical currents.
Main Results:
- Contralateral training led to significantly greater pain reduction compared to ipsilateral training.
- Classification accuracy of phantom hand movements improved only after contralateral training.
- Neurofeedback successfully modulated phantom limb pain and cortical representations.
Conclusions:
- Neurofeedback training can alter phantom hand representation and modulate pain perception.
- This technique is feasible and effective without explicit phantom hand movements or visual feedback.
- The findings enhance understanding of treatments like mirror therapy that modify sensorimotor cortical representations.
