Institute for Pain Research & Care / McMaster Institute for Research on Aging Catalyst Grants
“Future research and treatments are directly impacted by the research. Specifically, we are testing a new intervention that may improve pain symptoms and become a treatment for chronic neck pain. We are also creating new knowledge that will direct the objectives of future research.” - Dr. Aimee Nelson
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Corticomuscular Coherence Brain-Computer Interface to Treat Chronic Neck Pain Primary Investigator: Aimee Nelson, PhD Start Date: 2022
Brief Overview and Progress to Date The project investigates the use of augmented reality which is a form of sensorimotor training in individuals with chronic neck pain. The goal of the research is to determine whether the effects of augmented reality can be enhanced by the delivery of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).
Forty participants
diagnosed with chronic neck pain will be recruited to create equally sized groups receiving real or placebo rTMS. Real or placebo rTMS will be delivered immediately prior to engagement in augmented reality.
The augmented reality involves neck
movements to targets presented in a systematically increasing excursion from center point. Each participant experiences 2 to 4 weeks (3-5 times/week) of placebo/real rTMS + augmented training. Dependent measures include corticomuscular coherence assessed before and the intervention, functional assessments and clinical outcomes related to pain and quality of life.
