Chronic pain is a significant global health problem. The complex, multidimensional, and multifaceted nature of chronic pain requires development of new tools and technologies to deepen our understanding of the interplay between neural targets and stimulation patterns, mechanism of action, and spinal/supraspinal neural signatures, and to address the needs of both patients and physicians.
Neurotechnology broadly refers to any device using neural interfaces to read/write information from/into the nervous system. It can be invasive or non-invasive and can target the peripheral and/or central nervous systems, including neuromodulation interventions (e.g., spinal cord stimulation, deep brain stimulation), neuroprostheses (e.g., systems for to restore somatosensory feedback and reduce phantom limb pain after limb-amputation), and brain-computer interfaces (e.g., virtual/augmented reality, neurofeedback). The modern history of neuromodulation to treat chronic pain started in the late 1960s with the first spinal cord stimulator implants. Since then, neuromodulation has continued to evolve and been transformed by scientific and technological innovations. In fact, neuromodulation has become one of the fastest growing fields of study, involving many diverse specialties. However, more evidence is still needed to understand how these technologies (e.g., microelectronics, feedback-based systems, biomimetic stimulation patterns) should be best designed and implemented to tackle chronic pain and provide better access to care and ensuring comprehensive treatment plans for a diverse patient population.
In this Research Topic, we welcome contributions studying neural interface technologies ranging from electrical, magnetic, thermal, to optical, as well as multimodal combinations of these in the peripheral and/or central nervous systems for addressing chronic pain, research on open- and closed-loop systems from animal models to clinical studies, as well as telehealth and wearable devices for monitoring chronic pain.
Chronic pain is a significant global health problem. The complex, multidimensional, and multifaceted nature of chronic pain requires development of new tools and technologies to deepen our understanding of the interplay between neural targets and stimulation patterns, mechanism of action, and spinal/supraspinal neural signatures, and to address the needs of both patients and physicians.
Neurotechnology broadly refers to any device using neural interfaces to read/write information from/into the nervous system. It can be invasive or non-invasive and can target the peripheral and/or central nervous systems, including neuromodulation interventions (e.g., spinal cord stimulation, deep brain stimulation), neuroprostheses (e.g., systems for to restore somatosensory feedback and reduce phantom limb pain after limb-amputation), and brain-computer interfaces (e.g., virtual/augmented reality, neurofeedback). The modern history of neuromodulation to treat chronic pain started in the late 1960s with the first spinal cord stimulator implants. Since then, neuromodulation has continued to evolve and been transformed by scientific and technological innovations. In fact, neuromodulation has become one of the fastest growing fields of study, involving many diverse specialties. However, more evidence is still needed to understand how these technologies (e.g., microelectronics, feedback-based systems, biomimetic stimulation patterns) should be best designed and implemented to tackle chronic pain and provide better access to care and ensuring comprehensive treatment plans for a diverse patient population.
In this Research Topic, we welcome contributions studying neural interface technologies ranging from electrical, magnetic, thermal, to optical, as well as multimodal combinations of these in the peripheral and/or central nervous systems for addressing chronic pain, research on open- and closed-loop systems from animal models to clinical studies, as well as telehealth and wearable devices for monitoring chronic pain.
