Noninvasive cortical stimulation for chronic pain: from anecdote to evidence

This webinar has ended. Stay tuned for similar events on this topic!

Welcome to ANT Neuro Educational Webinar Series! 

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) first developed as a means of predicting the efficacy of neurosurgical procedures of cortical stimulation, then rapidly as an analgesic method on its own right. Reasonable evidence from at least 6 well-conducted controlled studies indicates a significant short-term analgesic effect of high-frequency rTMS of the motor cortex in neuropathic pain, and less consistently in widespread/fibromyalgic pain. Stimulation of the dorsolateral frontal cortex (DLPFC) has not proven efficacious for pain, so far. The operculo-insular cortex is a new and attractive target but evidence remains insufficient. rTMS exerts its effects through multiple parallel and distributed brain networks influencing simultaneously the sensory, affective and cognitive aspects of chronic pain. Its effects develop predominantly upon abnormally sensitised pathways, rather than on acute experimental pain. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an alternative procedure aimed at similar targets as rTMS, with the possibility of home-based protocols. However, the limited quality of most published tDCS reports makes the level of evidence still very low. Although the short-term efficacy of rTMS in neuropathic pain can be achieved with NNT ~2-3, extending the duration of beneficial effects during months of years² remains its most significant challenge, for which different strategies are being currently proposed, and will be discussed.

This will be presented by Prof. Dr. Luis Garcia-Larrea who is the Research Director at the INSERM, Head of the Inserm/University research Lab “Central Integration of Pain in Humans” (NeuroPain) at the Lyon Centre for Neuroscience, and practitioner at the Pain Clinic in Lyon Neurological Hospital. 

We look forward to welcoming you to this webinar! 

ANT Neuro organization team
[event ID: 4720]

DISCLAIMER- Any medical information is provided as a general information service only, and is not intended as a substitute for advice from a registered physician or other healthcare professional.