It may be possible to "tune" the brain to dampen the effects of pain, according to British researchers.
A study in Manchester has found that volunteers feel less pain when exposed to sound or light stimulation in the alpha wave range.
Alpha waves function at between nine and 12 cycles a second and, according to Manchester University researchers, are known to be used in the brain to send signals from one part to another.
The researchers found that alpha waves from the forebrain had the same impact as providing pain relief through placebo treatments.
The volunteers had pain inflicted through laser heat on the back of the arm. Some wore goggles flashing light in the alpha wave range while others had sound stimulation at the same frequency.
The findings have been reported in the European Journal of Pain.
Professor Anthony Jones, director of the Manchester Pain Consortium, said: "This is very exciting because it provides a potentially new, simple and safe therapy that can now be trialled in patients.
"At recent public engagements events we have had a lot of enthusiasm from patients for this kind of neuro-therapeutic approach."
Alpha-Range Visual and Auditory Stimulation reduces the Perception of Pain European Journal of Pain 2 November 2016 [abstract]
Leave a Reply