Research Article
An IoT-Based System for the Study of Neuropathic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-031-34586-9_7, author={Dario Salvi and Gent Ymeri and Daniel Jimeno and Vanesa Soto-Le\^{o}n and Yolanda P\^{e}rez-Borrego and Carl Magnus Olsson and Carmen Carrasco-Lopez}, title={An IoT-Based System for the Study of Neuropathic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury}, proceedings={Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare. 16th EAI International Conference, PervasiveHealth 2022, Thessaloniki, Greece, December 12-14, 2022, Proceedings}, proceedings_a={PERVASIVEHEALTH}, year={2023}, month={6}, keywords={IoT EEG HRV Neuropathic pain mobile health}, doi={10.1007/978-3-031-34586-9_7} }- Dario Salvi
Gent Ymeri
Daniel Jimeno
Vanesa Soto-León
Yolanda Pérez-Borrego
Carl Magnus Olsson
Carmen Carrasco-Lopez
Year: 2023
An IoT-Based System for the Study of Neuropathic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury
PERVASIVEHEALTH
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-34586-9_7
Abstract
Neuropathic pain is a difficult condition to treat and would require reliable biomarkers to personalise and optimise treatments. To date, pain levels are mostly measured with subjective scales, but research has shown that electroencephalography (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV) can be linked to those levels. Internet of Things technology could allow embedding EEG and HRV in easy-to-use systems that patients can use at home in their daily life. We have developed a system for home monitoring that includes a portable EEG device, a tablet application to guide patients through imaginary motor tasks while recording EEG, a wearable HRV sensor and a mobile phone app to report pain levels. We are using this system in a clinical study involving 15 spinal cord injury patients for one month. Preliminary results show that relevant data are being collected, with inter and intra-patients variability for both HRV and pain levels, and that the mobile phone app is perceived as usable, of good quality and useful. However, because of its complexity, the system requires some effort from patients, is sometimes unreliable and the collected EEG signals are not always of the desired quality.
