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Professor Stephen Jackson gives presentation at ESSTS (European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome)
Professor Stephen Jackson opened the second day at ESSTS (European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome) with a presentation on non-invasive brain stimulation in TS. The presentation gave the background into using the peripheral nervous system to stimulate the brain to reduce the urge to tic and tic frequency. This exciting breakthrough science underpins the work and product development at Neupulse.
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Clinical trial launched for wearable device to control Tourette Syndrome
This press release was first published on the University of Nottingham website A wearable wrist device that delivers electrical pulses to reduce the amount and severity of tics experienced by individuals with Tourette Syndrome (TS) is being tested in a UK-wide clinical trial. Previous research by scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Psychology and School of Medicine used repetitive trains of electrical stimulation to the median nerve (MNS) at the wrist to entrain rhythmic electrical brain activity - known as brain oscillations - associated with the suppression of movements. They found that rhythmic MNS is sufficient to substantially reduce tic frequency and tic intensity, and remove the urge-to-tic, in individuals with TS. University of Nottingham spin-out company Neurotherapeutics Ltd has now developed a prototype device, worn like a wrist-watch, that can be used by participants in their home setting with support from researchers in Nottingham. "Our previous research successfully used pulses of electrical current, delivered at the wrist, to increase the strength of brain oscillations that ordinarily must be reduced in strength to generate a movement. This resulted in a significant reduction in tics and in many cases removal of the urge-to-tic. Now we are taking this further by testing the use of a wearable device in a larger group of individuals, this is a significant step towards realising our goal of having a commercial product available for the TS community within a couple of years." Professor Stephen Jackson from the University of Nottingham and Chief scientific Officer at Neurotherapeutics Ltd The trial will expand on the previous research and will involve 135 individuals with TS. The group testing the device will be shown how to use the device and will then be asked to use it at home at the same time each day for 15 mins for a period of one month. Selected people will also be videoed each day and each week participants will give feedback on their experience. TS is a neurodevelopmental condition that is usually diagnosed between the ages of eight and 12. It causes involuntary sounds and movements called tics. Tics are repetitive, stereotyped movements and vocalisations that occur in bouts, typically many times in a single day, and are often preceded by a strong urge-to-tic, referred to as a premonitory urge (PU). 13-year-old Mylo is one of the participants in the trial. Talking about how the conditions affects him Mylo said: “I try not to let it affect my daily life, but it makes me really tired to try to suppress my tics at school. I know I don’t have to do that but I want to be like everyone else and not stand out and I don’t want people to comment on it. It also makes it hard to do certain activities, like ride a bike, as I have fallen off due to tics in the past. As I get older I have become more aware of how other people might see me and judge me.” Mylo has worked with a child psychologist on tic blocking techniques but found this difficult and tiring to maintain, he and his parents were keen to volunteer for this trial to see if this device can make a difference and help improve life for other people with Tourette’s in the future. Mylo continues: “I really hope that the trial shows that this device can make a difference in the need/urge to tic, for those that want it. I don’t feel like I need to be ‘fixed’ but I think that if there is an option to make life easier for people with Tourette’s it could be life changing – to not have to worry so much about what your body might do, to not be ‘different’ in the classroom, to go on bike rides with my friends – all these things will be life changing for me. With Tourette’s as a child there is always the worry that it could change or get worse as you get older and go through puberty so to know that there is something that could help if it does would help ease my worries too.” Barbara Morera Maiquez, Head of Research and Development at Neurotherapeutics Ltd is managing the trial, she commented: “We’re really excited to be taking the next step with this research as we already know from previous work what a remarkable effect the stimulation has on reducing tics, especially in those people with the most severe tics. We hope that this trial will show that the device can be used effectively by people at home to control tics and help us achieve our aim of creating an effective treatment for Tourette Syndrome.” The research is being funded by the charity Tourettes Action, NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centreand Neurotherapeutics Ltd. From May 15th Tourettes Action is running Tourette’s Awareness Month to de-stigmatize TS and show the general public what the reality of TS looks like, dispelling some of the myths that surround it. Emma McNally, Chief Executive Officer of Tourettes Action said: “It’s shocking that a condition so prevalent is still so badly misunderstood. More than 300,000 people in the UK are known to have Tourette’s, but that number is probably much, much higher. We want to use Tourette’s Awareness Month to help raise awareness of this condition and help to remove the stigma. With awareness, comes acceptance, and this is a key part of our work – enabling people who live with Tourette’s to be fully included in society. People with Tourette’s often feel isolated and excluded because the level of awareness in society is so low. It’s our goal to change that." "I’ve heard from parents who talk of holding their child in their arms in tears, unable to stop motor tics that are so repetitive they become physically painful. Adults who describe muscle spasms so intense and so uncontrollable that they are in extreme pain and yet are unable to stop the tics. I hope that the trial will prove to be a useful self-managing treatment to help people better manage and control their tics. It could potentially improve the lives of so many people." Emma McNally, Chief Executive Officer of Tourettes Action Story credits More information is available from Professor Stephen Jackson on Stephen.Jackson@nottingham.ac.uk or Professor Georgina Jackson on Georgina.jackson@nottingham.ac.uk
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Recent publications from the Neurotherapeutics team
Barbara Morera Maiquez, Georgina M. Jackson, Stephen R. Jackson (2021)Examining the neural antecedents of tics in Tourette syndrome using electroencephalography. Journal of Neuropsychologyhttps://doi.org/10.1111/jnp.12245 Stephen R. Jackson, Hilmar P. Sigurdsson, Katherine Dyke, Maria Condon, Georgina M. Jackson (2021). The role of the cingulate cortex in the generation of motor tics and the experience of the premonitory urge-to-tic in Tourette syndrome. Journal of Neuropsychology, 15(3), 340-362. Katherine Dyke, Georgina M. Jackson, Stephen R. Jackson (2021). Non-invasive brain stimulation as therapy: systematic review and recommendations with a focus on the treatment of Tourette syndrome. Experimental Brain Research. 10.1007/s00221-021-06229-y. Mairi S. Houlgreave, Barbara Morera Maiquez, Matthew J. Brookes, Stephen R. Jackson (2022). The Oscillatory Effects of Rhythmic Median Nerve Stimulation. Neuroimage. Hodkinson Duncan J, Jackson Stephen, Jung JeYoung (2022) Task-Dependent Plasticity in Distributed Neural Circuits after Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Human Motor Cortex. Neuroscience http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3988621 Caitlin M. Smith, Hilmar P. Sigurdsson, Katherine Dyke, Rosa Sanchez Panchuelo, Susan T. Francis, Georgina M. Jackson, Stephen R. Jackson (2022). Somatomotor cortical mapping in Tourette syndrome using neuro-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation. International Review of Movement Disorders, 2666-7878. Mairi Houlgreave, Bàrbara Morera Maiquez, Katherine Dyke, Georgina Jackson, Stephen Jackson (2022)Entrainment of movement-related brain oscillations to improve symptoms in Tourette syndrome. International Review of Movement Disorders, 2666-7878.
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Professor Stephen Jackson has been invited to deliver 2 Keynote addresses
Professor Stephen Jackson has been invited to deliver 2 Keynote addresses in the coming months describing the Neurotherapeutics Ltd approach to suppressing tics in Tourette syndrome: 50th Anniversary meeting of the Tourettes Association of America which will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA in May 2022. Bi-Annual Meeting of the European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland in June 2022.
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Trial begins for the suppression of the urge-to-tic and reduction of tics
Neurotherapeutics are pleased to announce the start of the randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled, trial of rhythmic 10Hz median nerve stimulation for the suppression of the urge-to-tic and reduction of tics in individuals with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorder. The study is being led by Professor Stephen Jackson and over the next 10 months 135 participants from the UK will take part in the trial from their homes using a trial device. The individuals will either receive active stimulation or sham stimulation over 20 days. The data will be collate and analysed by a team lead by Dr Barbara Morera at the end of the trial.
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NeuroMod+ research network successfully funded
We are happy to report that an application to establish the NeuroMod+ research network was successfully funded by the EPSRC (£1,265,849). This research network brings together MedTech businesses, including Neurotherapeutics Ltd, with researchers, clinicians, patients, and medical charities to co-create and develop the next-generation of neuromodulation therapeutics. Neurotherapeutics Ltd will be an active collaborator in this network.
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Neurotherapeutics Ltd have now produced 80 prototype wearable medical devices for use in a UK-wide trial
Neurotherapeutics Ltd have now produced 80 prototype wearable medical devices for use in a UK-wide randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy of rhythmic median nerve stimulation in suppressing the urge-to-tic in Tourette syndrome. MHRA approval for the clinical trial has been obtained as has NHS ethical approval. The trial, which is a collaboration between the University of Nottingham, NUH NHS Trust, and Neurotherapeutics Ltd, commenced in March 2022.
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Neupulse Wrist Device featured in Mail Online
"Will Tourette's ever be curable? Brain-altering gadget that stops involuntary tics could prove life-changing, doctors hope as Lewis Capaldi reveals he has the 'uncomfortable' syndrome" Read the article online.
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Neurotherapeutics wins Medilink Midlands ‘one to watch‘ award
At an awards night on 27th Jan 2022 Neurotherapeutics won the ‘One to watch’ award. Professor Stephen and Georgina Jackson attended the awards ceremony and accepted the award. Stephen Jackson said that this award confirms the very real potential of the approach we are taking at Neurotherpeutics Ltd to reduce tics and change individuals lives with tic disorders like Tourette syndrome
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