University of Twente Student Theses
Magneto-encephalography (MEG) to image the brain’s role in the analgesic effects of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)
Witjes, Bart (2018) Magneto-encephalography (MEG) to image the brain’s role in the analgesic effects of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS).
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| Abstract: | Introduction: Objective disease markers are key for personalized interventions. A biomarker for chronic pain, derived from brain activity would be an adequate approach to better understand the working mechanisms of Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) and optimise treatment with SCS. We aim to develop a marker sensitive and specific enough to assess objectively, each individual patient’s condition. Methods: Resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) was recorded in control subjects, chronic pain patients, and three times in patients with SCS after evaluating one week of tonic, burst and placebo stimulation. The power spectrum density was calculated at each of the 275 MEG-sensors and after source reconstruction. By calculating the ratio of theta to alpha power, we assessed the potential slowing of alpha frequencies. Results: Chronic pain patients showed significantly higher ratios than controls, predominantly at the right-sided sensors. Source reconstruction revealed significantly higher ratios in pain patients for the right insula, the mid-posterior and posterior cingulate cortex and the right S2. Patients with SCS showed on average less slowing of brain activity after burst stimulation than after tonic or placebo stimulation. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings suggest that alpha frequency brain oscillations are slowed down in chronic pain patients and that SCS could reduce this slowing. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | TNW: Science and Technology |
| Subject: | 44 medicine, 50 technical science in general |
| Programme: | Technical Medicine MSc (60033) |
| Awards: | Travel award Canadian Pain Society |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/76697 |
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