Feasibility and Safety of a Home-based Electroencephalogram Neurofeedback Intervention to Reduce Chronic Neuropathic Pain: A Cohort Clinical Trial.
Mohamed Sakel, Karen Saunders, Christine Ozolins and 1 others
PMID 39372246WHAT IT FOUND
Home-based EEG neurofeedback was feasible and safe for chronic neuropathic pain, with no serious adverse events.
Pain and mood scores improved in the nine participants analysed, but most felt little change, and the study could not prove the treatment worked.
Key findings
01The intervention was safe with no serious adverse events, though 13 minor or moderate issues occurred, mostly related to equipment faults or courier delivery problems.
02Pain and mood scores improved significantly in the nine participants analysed, but most participants perceived minimal improvement or no change in their symptoms.
03Recruitment and retention were challenging, with only 9 of 11 recruited participants analysed and low accessibility rates reported.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study was small (n=11 recruited, n=9 analysed), unblinded, and single-arm, so it cannot determine if the neurofeedback caused the improvements or if they were due to natural variation, expectation, or other factors. The sample was a convenience cohort, not representative of the wider chronic neuropathic pain population. High dropout and exclusion rates (2 of 11) suggest practical barriers to adherence. Most participants reported little subjective change despite statistical improvements in questionnaire scores. Technical issues with the headset and courier deliveries were frequent, highlighting real-world implementation challenges.
Declared interests
The study involved an industrial partner, Exsurgo Ltd, which provided the Axon NFB device and training. The Clinical Trials Unit of the sponsor organization, East Kent University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, was also involved. The investigators declared no financial or nonfinancial disclosures.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant improvements in pain and mood scores as evidence that home-based EEG neurofeedback is an effective treatment for chronic neuropathic pain. This was a small, unblinded feasibility study with no control group, and most participants themselves felt little change. The findings only suggest the method is safe enough to test in a larger, rigorous trial.