Neurofeedback Training for Managing Neuropathic Pain–Like Features in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Protocol for an Open-Label Pilot Feasibility Clinical Trial
STS Instructor Authored by Mark Smith
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Study at a glance
- Area
- Pain & Headache
- Study type
- Pilot / open study
- Authors
- Bialostocki LS, Adhia DB, Mudiyanselage DR, Smith ML, Cakmak YO, De Ridder D, Mani R, Mathew J
- Journal
- JMIR Research Protocols
- Year
- 2025
- Participants
- 5 enrolled (as of Oct 2025)
- Population
- Adults, Older adults
- Protocol
- EEG neurofeedback downtraining right insula and dACC
Key findings
- Adults 35-75 with PainDETECT score of 19 or more and average pain of 4/10 or more for at least 3 months
- Neurofeedback downtrains right insula and dorsal anterior cingulate activity together
- Primary outcomes are feasibility, acceptability and safety; no efficacy results reported
- Five participants enrolled and completed as of October 2025
A published protocol for a small single-arm trial of a new EEG neurofeedback approach for adults with long-term musculoskeletal pain that has nerve-pain-like features. The training rewards people, by sound, for lowering activity in both the right insula and dorsal anterior cingulate at once, two regions repeatedly linked to how pain is felt and how distressing it is. The main aims are feasibility, acceptability and safety, with EEG, questionnaires, heart rate variability and sensory testing explored as secondary outcomes to plan a later randomized trial.