Our aim at Neupulse is to improve the lives of people with Tourette Syndrome.
We have developed a non-invasive and drug free treatment that helps reduce tics and the urge to tic. This is achieved through gentle stimulation of the median nerve in the wrist.
The research
When we asked individuals with tic disorders and their families for their thoughts on our research priorities, we were frequently told that what was really needed was an effective drug free treatment for tic disorders that could be used outside of the clinic and gave individuals control over their tics. This led directly to us focusing on the use of peripheral nerve stimulation as a means of bringing about changes in the brain networks associated with the production of tics.
We demonstrated that delivering rhythmic patterns of mild electrical stimulation to the median nerve at the wrist could be used to increase the power and the synchronicity of the brain oscillations (rhythms) associated with the suppression of movements, and that this type of stimulation was sufficient to dramatically reduce the frequency of tics and remove the urge-to-tic in individuals with tic disorders.
Importantly, we also showed that this type of stimulation did not materially affect the execution of volitional (intentional) movements or impair cognitive functions such as attention.