MARILYN FENICHEL PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 21, 2016
Excitement is growing over new strategies for treating or avoiding peripheral neuropathy in patients with cancer. Continue the conversation on CURE’s forum. >>
Talk about this article with other patients, caregivers, and advocates in the Breast cancer CURE discussion group.
During a neurofeedback session, small electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors are placed on the scalp and then connected to a computer. The sensors can track and record brain wave patterns. The participant then plays a series of computer games, with the goal of modifying aberrant waves. When a brain wave has been successfully modified, the participant receives a reward, either by hearing an appealing sound or viewing a pretty picture.
“This kind of learning is unconscious,” explains Prinsloo. “We find that, with repeated practice, usually over a period of 20 sessions, each lasting 30 minutes, the brain learns a new, healthier response to pain and numbness.”
Felecia Peters, 51, was recruited by MD Anderson to participate in its study for breast cancer patients. Diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2013, she started experiencing symptoms of CIPN while undergoing chemotherapy with Abraxane.
“It snuck up on me,” Peters recalls. “I had numbness, tingling and a sharp, stabbing pain in my feet that would come and go pretty quickly. Balance was also an issue. Sitting down and getting up was painful, as was using my hands to button things and put on small earrings. It hasn’t gone away since my treatment ended two years ago.”
The neurofeedback sessions were not difficult, though Peters remembers feeling sleepy sometimes. “The doctors wanted me to stay awake, but suggested that I nap when I got home,” Peters says. “They said that resting helps the brain remember what it just learned. Unfortunately, I wasn’t always able to follow that advice.”
After completing the 20 neurofeedback sessions, Peters has noticed a significant improvement; she hasn’t felt pain in a while, going up stairs is easier, her fine motor skills are better and she can also exercise more easily.
“I always walked, but now my feet don’t feel as heavy,” says Peters. “While I never fell, it was hard to feel what you were stepping on. It’s a weird feeling, hard to describe.”
As Prinsloo continues to work with women like Peters, she is optimistic that neurofeedback can make a difference.
“Neuropathy is a really debilitating condition,” Prinsloo says. “We’ve seen patients who can’t drive, button their clothes or get around without walkers. They can’t dance or enjoy life as much as they would like. I’m hopeful that our approach will provide these women with lasting relief.”
http://www.curetoday.com/publications/cure/2016/breast-2016/that-tingling-feeling-new-therapies-are-evolving-for-peripheral-neuropathy?p=5
That Tingling Feeling: New Therapies Are Evolving for Peripheral Neuropathy
Excitement is growing over new strategies for treating or avoiding peripheral neuropathy in patients with cancer.
PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 21, 2016
Talk about this article with other patients, caregivers, and advocates in the Breast cancer CURE discussion group.
During
a neurofeedback session, small electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors are
placed on the scalp and then connected to a computer. The sensors can
track and record brain wave patterns. The participant then plays a
series of computer games, with the goal of modifying aberrant waves.
When a brain wave has been successfully modified, the participant
receives a reward, either by hearing an appealing sound or viewing a
pretty picture.
“This kind of learning is unconscious,” explains Prinsloo. “We find that, with repeated practice, usually over a period of 20 sessions, each lasting 30 minutes, the brain learns a new, healthier response to pain and numbness.”
Felecia Peters, 51, was recruited by MD Anderson to participate in its study for breast cancer patients. Diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2013, she started experiencing symptoms of CIPN while undergoing chemotherapy with Abraxane.
“It snuck up on me,” Peters recalls. “I had numbness, tingling and a sharp, stabbing pain in my feet that would come and go pretty quickly. Balance was also an issue. Sitting down and getting up was painful, as was using my hands to button things and put on small earrings. It hasn’t gone away since my treatment ended two years ago.”
The neurofeedback sessions were not difficult, though Peters remembers feeling sleepy sometimes. “The doctors wanted me to stay awake, but suggested that I nap when I got home,” Peters says. “They said that resting helps the brain remember what it just learned. Unfortunately, I wasn’t always able to follow that advice.”
After completing the 20 neurofeedback sessions, Peters has noticed a significant improvement; she hasn’t felt pain in a while, going up stairs is easier, her fine motor skills are better and she can also exercise more easily.
“I always walked, but now my feet don’t feel as heavy,” says Peters. “While I never fell, it was hard to feel what you were stepping on. It’s a weird feeling, hard to describe.”
As Prinsloo continues to work with women like Peters, she is optimistic that neurofeedback can make a difference.
“Neuropathy is a really debilitating condition,” Prinsloo says. “We’ve seen patients who can’t drive, button their clothes or get around without walkers. They can’t dance or enjoy life as much as they would like. I’m hopeful that our approach will provide these women with lasting relief.”
- See more at:
http://www.curetoday.com/publications/cure/2016/breast-2016/that-tingling-feeling-new-therapies-are-evolving-for-peripheral-neuropathy?p=5#sthash.uMbx0EUT.dpuf“This kind of learning is unconscious,” explains Prinsloo. “We find that, with repeated practice, usually over a period of 20 sessions, each lasting 30 minutes, the brain learns a new, healthier response to pain and numbness.”
Felecia Peters, 51, was recruited by MD Anderson to participate in its study for breast cancer patients. Diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2013, she started experiencing symptoms of CIPN while undergoing chemotherapy with Abraxane.
“It snuck up on me,” Peters recalls. “I had numbness, tingling and a sharp, stabbing pain in my feet that would come and go pretty quickly. Balance was also an issue. Sitting down and getting up was painful, as was using my hands to button things and put on small earrings. It hasn’t gone away since my treatment ended two years ago.”
The neurofeedback sessions were not difficult, though Peters remembers feeling sleepy sometimes. “The doctors wanted me to stay awake, but suggested that I nap when I got home,” Peters says. “They said that resting helps the brain remember what it just learned. Unfortunately, I wasn’t always able to follow that advice.”
After completing the 20 neurofeedback sessions, Peters has noticed a significant improvement; she hasn’t felt pain in a while, going up stairs is easier, her fine motor skills are better and she can also exercise more easily.
“I always walked, but now my feet don’t feel as heavy,” says Peters. “While I never fell, it was hard to feel what you were stepping on. It’s a weird feeling, hard to describe.”
As Prinsloo continues to work with women like Peters, she is optimistic that neurofeedback can make a difference.
“Neuropathy is a really debilitating condition,” Prinsloo says. “We’ve seen patients who can’t drive, button their clothes or get around without walkers. They can’t dance or enjoy life as much as they would like. I’m hopeful that our approach will provide these women with lasting relief.”
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