cpnn+
Menu

Viewing archives for

BrainBox – Satellite workshop

We are delighted to have BrainBox attend our upcoming 2 day event on 2nd July 2024 at Exeter University. BrainBox will be providing an afternoon workshop on an ‘Introduction to Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation’ For more information & to register your interest, please visit their website https://brainbox-initiative.com/workshops/introduction-to-non-invasive-brain-stimulation-workshop Please be aware that spaces are limited and competitive for this workshop! For more information about our ‘Neurotechnology & Pain’ event, please visit https://cpnn.ac.uk/activity/workshop/

UKRI Innovate UK Neurotechnology Conference

Innovate UK Business Connect hosted a neurotechnology conference, with the aim of bringing together innovators in the neurotechnology field. It was a great opportunity to hear about the latest innovations in neurotechnology, and network with those developing neurotechnologies in sectors such as health and gaming. Our network P.I (Ben Seymour) also presented CPNN+ to all attendees. For a full agenda from the day and a list of the guest speakers, please visit https://web-eur.cvent.com/event/d20349d8-8a56-457b-bc92-91246fc0a877/websitePage:0c244e61-58f6-4b7f-b27d-a5ae29dd8707

CPNN+ awards four successful applicants

Advertised initially via our ‘Opportunities’ page, we have since awarded the following four ECR’s. Please see a summary of each project below.

Mr. Alexander Smith (pictured) University of Plymouth.
Nature-based Analgesia and Chronic Low-Back Pain: A Role for Immersive Virtual Reality?
Exposure to nature has a myriad of health benefits from mental health and wellbeing to pain amelioration. The benefits to pain, specifically chronic, have yet to be explored in real depth. Understanding the mechanisms through which nature can be leveraged for chronic pain may improve therapeutic options in the future. This project aims to develop a nature based virtual reality intervention for chronic low back pain patients using a mixed methods co-design approach. Specifically, we aim to: 1) To understand and quantify the unmet clinical needs of the chronic low-back pain community, and to work with members of that community in exploring potential treatments, programmes or interventions using immersive nature-based VR technologies [phase 1]. 2) To co-design a VR intervention with members of the chronic low-back pain community using existing environmental psychology theory and anticipated impact on symptom profiles [phase 2]. 3) To develop a working nature-based VR intervention using real world 360 degree immersive videos based on extensive patient co-design [phase 3]. Through developing this patient informed working prototype of a novel VR intervention, we will then be able to start testing the therapeutic effects in follow on studies beyond the scope of this funding period.
Dr. George Tackley (pictured) & Co-PI: Dr David McGonigle, Cardiff University.
Exploring the Use of Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) for the Treatment of Chronic Back Pain (CBP) – Patient perspectives and expectations.
The value of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in developing meaningful outcome measures is increasingly recognised within chronic pain research. Our proposal is to explore the perceptions and expectations in participants arising from the use of immersive virtual reality (IVR) to manipulate pain in people suffering from moderate to severe chronic low back pain (CBP). An IVR/CBP study is currently running which will investigate the mechanisms by which pain improvement occurs with IVR. In our PPIE sub-study we will focus on participant perceptions and experiences of this novel intervention, which are important to any future developments of IVR and its role in managing CBP. We will utilise both standard and novel questionnaires to gage pre and post IVR intervention responses from 40 participants, documenting their current understanding and expectations from the IVR technology and its impact on their CBP. We also intend to examine whether certain patient characteristics, such as anxiety, fear avoidance, or catastrophizing impact upon the response to IVR as a therapy. The main objective of our project is to ensure that due importance is given to the voice of the end user in this novel intervention.
Dr. Janet Bultitude (pictured) & co-applicant Ms. Caitlin Naylor, PhD Student, University of Bath.
Patient-informed development of a personalized virtual reality intervention for body representation distortion and chronic pain.
Our project will address technology development, treatment optimization, and user experience and acceptance for a personalized virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation tool for chronic upper limb pain. Our tool uses hand-tracking technology to allow patients to embody virtual upper limbs with different appearances. Previous research has demonstrated some success in treating chronic pain by using illusions to change the appearance of the painful hand. We aim to allow a more immersive and personalized experience, and to accommodate a broader range of desired limb appearance. Our objectives are to:
1. Develop a VR tool that will enable a person without VR programming expertise to create a virtual limb that has the personalized desired appearance of a patient, and then allow the patient to embody that limb within the same session.
2. Explore patients’ perceptions and attitudes regarding current rehabilitation methods that alter body perception, and their requirements or concerns for personalized and VR-based rehabilitation methods.
3. Gather and implement patient feedback on our VR rehabilitation approach, including preferences about the specific visual limb manipulations and factors influencing the acceptability of the VR tool.
4. Work with patients to understand what information should be conveyed to users of the VR tool, and how that can best be conveyed.
Dr. Jordan Tsigarides (pictured) University of East Anglia (UEA).
Creation of a National Co-Development Hub for Therapeutic Digital Health Interventions in Chronic Pain.
Digital health interventions, including virtual reality, offer new avenues for chronic pain management. However, solutions frequently lack effective co-design with patients, potentially resulting in ineffective or even harmful applications. This gap often arises from limited co-design expertise, poor access to individuals with lived experience and lack of structured collaboration among stakeholders. Currently, no UK-based organisations focus specifically on facilitating such co-development. This application aims to address this problem by establishing a UK Co-Development Hub to support those developing digital therapeutics in chronic pain. The hub’s objectives are three-fold:
1. Stakeholder Network Development: Create a cross-sector network of healthcare providers, academics, industry experts, and those with lived experience of chronic pain to foster collaboration and co-design.
2. Digital Platform Creation: Develop a user-friendly website as the hub’s central platform, featuring co-design resources and tools.
3. Co-design Framework: Create evidence-based guidelines and helpful toolkits to support co-development of digital therapeutics in chronic pain.
By offering a structured approach to co-development, the hub aims to catalyse the creation of effective, tailored digital interventions for chronic pain utilising human-centred design

Mind The Gap study with CPNN+ & NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)

Our P.I (Prof. Ben Seymour) and one of our co-investigators (Dr. Sam Hughes) have collaborated with Dr. Will Young (Project Lead), Dr. Gavin Buckingham & Dr. Sonia Medina – Hernandez (Translational Fellowship) on a new study using VR technology to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of chronic pain to develop effective treatments.

The team hope to improve our understanding of the brain’s role in chronic lower back pain (CLBP) and develop a new method to measure changes in symptoms and underlying causes after treatments. For more information, please visit https://www.exeterbrc.nihr.ac.uk/research-projects/mind-the-gap/

N-CODE Stakeholder-Led Study Group – April 2024

Venue: The Telford Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, Sutton Heights, Telford, Shropshire, TF7 4DT
Dates: Monday 15th April (12:00 start) – Thursday 18th April (17:00 close) 2024. The deadline for applications is 16:00 (GMT) on Thursday 28th March 2024. For more information please visit: https://www.n-code.org/activity/n-code-stakeholder-led-study-group-april-2024/

Verity XR

VerityXR is excited to share news of our partnership with the esteemed University of Oxford. During a recent visit to the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, our leadership team engaged in productive workshops with Prof. Ben Seymour, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience, and his team. Together, we explored potential research projects aimed at deepening our understanding of pain and its effects on individuals. We extend our sincere gratitude to Prof. Ben Seymour and his team for their gracious hospitality. We are looking forward to joining forces with them on innovative and impactful research initiatives in the field of pain neuroscience.

1st Oxford Health BRC Pain Conference: from Theory to Practice (21-22 March 2024 at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford)

 The (hybrid) conference will cover a wide range of topics including:

We are delighted that Prof Irene Tracey has agreed to give a keynote lecture on 21st March before our conference dinner. In her keynote, “Taking on Pain: the Future is bright”, she will share her exciting vision for the future of pain research.

Our second keynote speaker is the Past President of the Massage Therapy Foundation, Douglas Nelson, who has over 30 years of experience in treating people with chronic pain. Doug will be speaking about an emerging topic at the intersection of pain and mental health: “Patients’ experience of invalidation – and what we can do about it”. Come and learn about the importance of validation – and the difference between validation and reassurance. 

The conference and dinner on 21st March are complimentary but please note that seating is limited. Alternatively, you can join us online!

For more information: https://sites.google.com/view/pain-ohbrc-conference-2024

Alternatively, you can join us online! To secure your spot (in-person or online), please register here: https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/short-courses/nuffield-department-of-clinical-neurosciences/nuffield-department-of-clinical-neurosciences/oxford-health-brc-pain-conference?token=c7e23e659ac5a19e52f275588d021f66

Sign up for our neurotechnology course!

For more information and to sign up, please visit https://cpnn.ac.uk/neurotech-course/

Immerse UK Awards University Tour

Following the success of the 2023 Immerse UK Awards, Immerse UK is proud to announce that they will be hosting a series of networking events across the UK at a number of universities this autumn. For more information, please click here.

11th Interdisciplinary World Congress on Low Back and Pelvic Girdle Pain in Melbourne, Australia.  

Noudy Eleryan – The effect of self-management interventions on musculoskeletal disorders in musicians: A scoping review.
Dr Akushla Rathnayake: Normalisation process theory (NPT) analysis of user experience of BACK-to-FITTM – A novel digital intervention to promote exercise self-management and physical activity in people with low back pain.
Dr Liba Sheeran: Assessment of spinal and pelvic kinematics using inertial measurement units in people with persistent low back pain. Co-production of BACK-on-LINETM, a work-based digital self-management of low back pain, for implementation and scaleup the rail industry. Phenotyping low back pain from video capture using computer vision and machine learning.