Individualised Alpha-tACS for Modulating Pain Perception and Neural Oscillations: A Sham-Controlled Study in Healthy Participants

IF 3.4 2区医学 Q1 ANESTHESIOLOGY

European Journal of Pain Pub Date : 2025-07-19 DOI:10.1002/ejp.70086

Yaser Fathi, Françoise Dissassuca, Gloria Ricci, Giulia Liberati

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Neural oscillations are increasingly recognised as key mechanisms integrating the sensory, affective and cognitive dimensions of pain, yet their precise role in pain modulation remains poorly understood. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) offers a promising tool for modulating these oscillations and elucidating their function in pain processing. However, findings on tACS-induced pain modulation have been inconsistent, possibly due to a lack of individualised protocols.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the effects of tACS delivered at the individual peak alpha frequency (IAF) on both pain perception and neural oscillations. Using a within-subject, sham-controlled design, we applied tACS over the primary motor cortex (M1) contralateral to the dominant arm in 38 healthy participants. Sustained periodic 0.2 Hz thermonociceptive stimuli were applied to the dominant forearm before and after tACS. Pain perception and heat pain thresholds (HPT) were assessed before and after tACS. To calculate IAF from recorded scalp electroencephalography, we used a discriminative approach based on independent component analysis, enabling the isolation of somatosensory IAF (SS-IAF).

Results

The results revealed an overall increase in pain perception and a decrease in HPT in both sham and active conditions, with no significant interactions between conditions. However, a trend toward reduced sensitisation to thermonociceptive stimuli post-tACS was observed. Exploratory analyses suggested a sex-specific effect of tACS, with a potential modulation of HPT observed in women but not in men. Furthermore, we observed a significant correlation between SS-IAF and HPT.

Conclusions

These findings provide novel perspectives on advancing individualised neuromodulation approaches for pain.

Significance

This article introduces an individualised transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) approach, targeting the sensorimotor area at the individual somatosensory alpha frequency. Our findings highlight its potential for modulating pain perception and provide novel perspectives on advancing individualised neuromodulation for pain management.

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个体化α - tacs调节疼痛感知和神经振荡：一项健康受试者的假对照研究

神经振荡越来越被认为是整合疼痛的感觉、情感和认知维度的关键机制，但它们在疼痛调节中的确切作用仍然知之甚少。经颅交流电刺激（tACS）为调节这些振荡和阐明它们在疼痛加工中的功能提供了一个有前途的工具。然而，关于tacs诱导的疼痛调节的研究结果并不一致，可能是由于缺乏个性化的方案。方法在本研究中，我们研究了在个体α峰频率（IAF）传递的tACS对疼痛感知和神经振荡的影响。采用受试者内假对照设计，我们在38名健康参与者的优势臂对侧初级运动皮质（M1）上应用了tACS。在tACS前后，对优势前臂施加持续的周期性0.2 Hz热感刺激。在tac前后分别评估疼痛感觉和热痛阈值（HPT）。为了从记录的头皮脑电图中计算IAF，我们使用了基于独立成分分析的判别方法，从而分离了躯体感觉IAF （SS-IAF）。结果显示，在假手术和活动条件下，疼痛感知总体增加，HPT下降，两种情况之间没有明显的相互作用。然而，观察到tacs后对热感刺激的敏感性降低的趋势。探索性分析表明，tACS具有性别特异性作用，在女性中观察到HPT的潜在调节，而在男性中没有。此外，我们观察到SS-IAF与HPT之间存在显著相关性。结论这些发现为推进个体化疼痛神经调节方法提供了新的视角。本文介绍了一种个体化经颅交流电刺激（tACS）方法，针对个体体感α频率的感觉运动区。我们的研究结果强调了其调节疼痛感知的潜力，并为推进个性化神经调节疼痛管理提供了新的视角。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

European Journal of Pain 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

7.50

自引率

5.60%

发文量

163

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： European Journal of Pain (EJP) publishes clinical and basic science research papers relevant to all aspects of pain and its management, including specialties such as anaesthesia, dentistry, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, palliative care, pharmacology, physiology, psychiatry, psychology and rehabilitation; socio-economic aspects of pain are also covered. Regular sections in the journal are as follows: • Editorials and Commentaries • Position Papers and Guidelines • Reviews • Original Articles • Letters • Bookshelf The journal particularly welcomes clinical trials, which are published on an occasional basis. Research articles are published under the following subject headings: • Neurobiology • Neurology • Experimental Pharmacology • Clinical Pharmacology • Psychology • Behavioural Therapy • Epidemiology • Cancer Pain • Acute Pain • Clinical Trials.