A Newly-Developed Wrist Device Showed Promising Clinical Trial Results After Significantly Reducing The Frequency And Severity Of Tics Among Individuals With Tourette Syndrome
A recent clinical trial of a new wrist device was found to drastically reduce the frequency and severity of ticks among people with Tourette syndrome.
The prototype of the device was trialed by 121 people throughout the UK– including Lewis Capaldi, the Scottish singer and songwriter best known for his songs “Someone You Loved” and “Before You Go.”
Scientists from the University of Nottingham and Neurotherapeutics Ltd– a spin-out company– developed this device and recently acquired £1 million of additional funding to help commercialize the device, known as a Neopulse.
The goal is to bring both the device and an app to the general market within three years.
According to the CDC, Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a condition of the nervous system which causes people to have “tics”– or involuntary and sudden movements, twitches, or sounds that individuals repeatedly do.
Prior to these tics– which usually occur numerous times each day– individuals with TS also often experience a robust urge-to-tic beforehand. This is known as premonitory urge (PU).
Past research from scientists at the University of Nottingham’s School of Psychology and School of Medicine utilized repetitive electrical stimulation of the medial nerve (MNS) located at the wrist to change brain oscillations– or rhythmic electrical brain activity– linked to the suppression of movements.
In this research, the team discovered that rhythmic MNS drastically reduced the frequency and intensity of tics. It also removed the PU– or the urge to tic– among individuals diagnosed with TS.
So, in this clinical trial, the participants used the device for 15 minutes daily for one months’ time. A portion of the participants was also video recorded using the device each day, and all participants provided feedback on their experience each week.
bnenin – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
The trial revealed that individuals who received active stimulation saw a significant reduction in tic frequency and severity. In fact, tic frequency was reduced by an average of over 25% while receiving stimulation.
Then, after the device was used for four weeks, participants who received active stimulation saw over a 35% reduction in tic severity. And in total, about 59% of the participants who received active stimulation saw at least a 25% reduction in tic severity compared to baseline.
One of the participants was a 13-year-old boy named Mylo, whose parents picked up on some unusual symptoms during toddlerhood. But, Mylo was not diagnosed with TS until age 10, and according to him, the device was straightforward.
“The device was easy to use,” Mylo explained.
“You strap it on like a watch and press a button to start it. You have to make sure the pads are on the back properly; otherwise, it might hurt a tiny bit. When the stimulation occurs, it feels a bit like a fizzing on my wrist and forearm. Not painful, just a bit different.”
The 13-year-old also claimed that the device “definitely” helped reduce the frequency of his tics and looks forward to getting it once it becomes commercially available.
“I think it can help people with Tourette’s in different ways. For me, I would use it if I was going to the cinema or the theatre– places where you sometimes have to be quiet or still, so you don’t disturb people,” Mylo said.
“Tourette’s can be really exhausting sometimes, like when you have a tic attack and can’t get a break from it. This device could really help with that.”
Mylo’s mother, Alex, is also hopeful about the device’s capabilities. She detailed how she is unsure how her son’s TS will progress as he ages. Regardless, she called the device “a great safety net” that could help Mylo whenever he needed it.
“I would also say that the device might not be for everyone. If you are accepting of your tics and they don’t impact your life, you might not want or need it,” Alex noted.
“But for those people that really struggle, I believe it will make a significant impact with daily challenges. We feel really lucky to have taken part in the trial.”
So, despite the Neopulse device still being in its early development stage, the clinical trial results are extremely promising– potentially offering individuals with TS the ability to gain increased control over their tics to gain a better quality of life.
“The results of this trial mark an exciting step towards an effective, non-invasive treatment for Tourette syndrome that can be used at home,” said Dr. Barbara Morera Maiquez, who managed the trial.
“We are now focused on using the knowledge from the trial to develop a commercial device that can be made available to people with Tourette’s.”
To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.
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