Noise and sound stimulation can be utilized by those in healthcare to bring improvements on people’s lives, such as those with pain conditions, motor issues, and emotional problems. Through further research on this topic, such as the research done by Dr. Vincent Chen, noise and sound stimulation can become a popular alternative treatment for our health issues.
In Dr. Vincent Chen’s study, “Effects of Noise Electrical Stimulation on Proprioception, Force Control, and Corticomuscular Functional Connectivity”, he looked at the effects of noise electrical stimulation on proprioception and grip force control. His research team conducted two experiments using fourteen adults across two days. The first experiment tested their grip force and proprioceptive with noise electrical stimulation as well as sham condition. Four levels of noise electrical stimulation were used, at 0%, 70%, 90%, and 100%. In the second experiment, the subjects were tested on their force control and corticomuscular connectivity by performing a grip hold force test before and after 30 minutes of electrical noise stimulation. The results indicated an increase in proprioception after 70% and 100% noise electrical stimulation by around 70%. However, grip force did not have a statistically significant change. Overall, the results of this research paper highlight the potential usage of noise electrical stimulation to improve lives of those with impaired proprioception.
Sound and electrical stimulation was also tested to see if it can improve chronic pain. In a research study led by Dr. Cory Gloeckner, bimodal sensory stimulation, which uses sound and electrical stimulation, was used on guinea pigs to see if it can affect neural activity in the somatosensory cortex. This area of the brain regulates pain sensation, so changes of neural activity could potentially lead to changes in pain perception. The results of the study showed that while sound stimulation by itself had no effect on the neurons, both sound and electrical stimulation affected nearly every single neuron in the somatosensory cortex. This could be used by healthcare professionals to treat chronic pain in patients who don’t want to take oral medications. While experiments haven’t been performed on humans yet, this approach is non-invasive so Dr. Gloeckner hopes to apply the same experimental conditions on humans to see if it has an effect on them as well.
Both of these studies point to the vast potential of sound stimulation as an alternative treatment compared to the conventional approaches in medicine, such as medications, physical therapy, and surgery. While there aren’t any direct applications derived from these studies yet, the evidence and results gathered from them can point medical researchers in the right direction, hopefully leading us towards a future in medicine where sound treatment and therapy is commonly used by the average person.
References:
Chou, Li-Wei, et al. “Effects of Noise Electrical Stimulation on Proprioception, Force Control, and Corticomuscular Functional Connectivity.” IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, vol. 31, 1 Jan. 2023, pp. 2518–2524, https://doi.org/10.1109/tnsre.2023.3277752.
Pelc, C. (2022, August 17). How sound and electrical stimulation could help treat chronic pain. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/sound-and-electrical-body-stimulation-have-potential-to-treat-chronic-pain
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