Neuralgia
Research Papers
The importance of self-efficacy and negative affect for neurofeedback success for central neuropathic pain after a spinal cord injury
EEG-based neurofeedback uses mental behaviours (MB) to enable voluntary self-modulation of brain activity, and has potential to relieve central neuropathic pain (CNP) after a spinal cord injury (SCI). This study aimed to understand neurofeedback learning and the relationship between MB and neurofeedback success. Twenty-five non-CNP participants and ten CNP participants received neurofeedback training (reinforcing 9-12 Hz; suppressing 4-8 Hz and 20-30 Hz) on four visits. Participants were interviewed about the MB they used after each visit. Questionnaires examined the following factors: self-efficacy, locus of control, motivation, and workload of neurofeedback. MB were grouped into mental strategies (a goal-directed mental action) and affect (emotional experience during neurofeedback). Successful non-CNP participants significantly used more imagination-related MS and reported more negative affect compared to successful CNP participants. However, no mental strategy was clearly associated with neurofeedback success. There was some association between the lack of success and negative affect. Self-efficacy was moderately correlated with neurofeedback success (r = < 0.587, p = < 0.020), whereas locus of control, motivation, and workload had low, non-significant correlations (r < 0.300, p > 0.05). Affect may be more important than mental strategies for a successful neurofeedback performance. Self-efficacy was associated with neurofeedback success, suggesting that increasing confidence in one's neurofeedback abilities may improve neurofeedback performance.
View Full Paper →Non-Pharmacological Management of Painful Peripheral Neuropathies: A Systematic Review
INTRODUCTION: Peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) is defined as the neuropathic pain that arises either acutely or in the chronic phase of a lesion or disease affecting the peripheral nervous system. PNP is associated with a remarkable disease burden, and there is an increasing demand for new therapies to be used in isolation or combination with currently available treatments. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the current evidence, derived from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assess non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of PNP. METHODS: After a systematic Medline search, we identified 18 papers eligible to be included. RESULTS: The currently best available evidence (level II of evidence) exist for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. In particular, spinal cord stimulation as adjuvant to conventional medical treatment can be effectively used for the management of patients with refractory pain. Similarly, adjuvant repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex is effective in reducing the overall pain intensity, whereas adjuvant static magnetic field therapy can lead to a significant decrease in exercise-induced pain. Weaker evidence (level III of evidence) exists for the use of acupuncture as a monotherapy and neurofeedback, either as an add-on or a monotherapy approach, for treatment of painful chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy CONCLUSIONS: Future RCTs should be conducted to shed more light in the use of non-pharmacological approaches in patients with PNP.
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