Shahrzad Damercheli Electrical engineering

Shahrzad damercheli is a Phd student in the research group Bionics, Division of Signal processing and Biomedical engineering

Discussion leader is Assoc.Professor Jamila Andoh, Central Institute of Mental Health, Germany

Examiner is Professor Petter Falkman, Division of Signal processing and Biomedical engineering

Abstract

Neuropathic pain, specifically phantom limb pain (PLP), presents a significant challenge for individuals
with limb loss, amputation, or peripheral nerve injuries. Current treatment options, such as
pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, have limited efficacy for chronic neuropathic pain. Plasticityguided approaches, such as mirror therapy, sensory training, and phantom movement execution,
phantom motor imagery and neuromodulation techniques, such as, transcranial direct current
stimulation (tDCS), have shown promise in alleviation of phantom limb pain. This presentation 1)
explores the existing evidence on the effectiveness of these approaches, 2) introduces an integrated
approach, called Mindful SensoriMotor Training”, that combines phantom motor imagery and
sensory discrimination training with phantom motor execution to enhance the effectiveness of it, and
3) outlines the designed clinical trials aimed at examining the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Future research directions include completion of the designed single-arm clinical trial investigating
the efficacy of the MiSMT combined with tDCS for the treatment of PLP, conducting the designed
randomized multicenter international controlled trial to evaluate the superiority of the new approach
over Mirror Therapy, and the validation of the created assessment tools for evaluating PLP severity
and impact.