A wrist bracelet that delivers electrical pulses can significantly reduce the severity and frequency of tics for people with Tourette’s Syndrome, scientists have shown.
In a video released by the University of Nottingham, a 13-year-old boy was seen struggling to control twitching in his face, before switching on the device, after which his movements subsided.
The device, called Neupulse, works by stimulating a motor nerve in the arm with rhythmic electrical pulses that trigger brain oscillations linked to the suppression of movement.
In a trial of 121 people in Britain, wrist stimulation was found to reduce both the number, and the severity of tics in people with Tourette’s.
Mylo Roberts, the participant in the video said: “It feels a bit like a fizzing on my wrist and forearm, not painful, just a bit different.
'You sometimes have to be quiet'
“The device definitely helped my tics. I still did the occasional tic when it was on but the need to do it was a lot less. I definitely want this device when it is available.
“For me, I would use it if I was going to the cinema or the theatre - places where you sometimes have to be quiet or still so you don't disturb people.
“Tourette's can be really exhausting sometimes, like when you have a tic attack and can't get a break from it - this device could really help with that.”
Scientists had previously shown in the lab that electrical stimulation of the median nerve dialled down tics, and so developed a portable device.
In the new trial, participants used the Neupulse wearable at home at a similar time each day for 15 mins for a period of one month.
After using the device for four weeks, people who received active stimulation experienced a reduction in their tic severity of more than 35 per cent.
Prof Stephen Jackson from the University of Nottingham and chief scientific officer at Neurotherapeutics Ltd, a company spun off from the university, said: “Though the Neupulse device is still early in development, the results of this UK-wide double-blind clinical trial have been extremely encouraging.
“This device has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of those with Tourette syndrome, who often face challenges managing their tics, by providing increased control over their tics on demand.”
Tourette’s Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental condition that is usually diagnosed between the ages of eight and 12 and tends to run in families.
It causes involuntary sounds and movements called tics - repetitive, movements and vocalisations that occur in bouts, typically many times in a single day.
No cure or single treatment
Around 300,000 people in Britain are living with the condition and there is currently no cure or single treatment that can stop tics permanently.
Medication and psychological therapies are used to help manage symptoms.
Emma McNally, chief executive officer of Tourettes Action, said: “The results of the trial are extremely promising. Many with Tourette’s suffer with pain caused by the repetitive nature of their tics and often find it hard to get any respite from this.
“The device could provide them with a useful self-managing treatment to help them better manage and control their tics, ultimately giving them a break from the tic pain cycle. It could potentially improve the lives of so many people.”
Dr Barbara Morera Maiquez, chief research officer at Neurotherapeutics Ltd, who managed the trial, said the results were an “exciting step towards” an effective, non-invasive treatment for Tourette’s that can be used at home.
“We are now focused on using the knowledge from the trial to develop a commercial device that can be made available to people with Tourette’s,” she added.