Neupulse device launched after Tourette's trial, awaits NHS approval

A new device for people with Tourette's syndrome has been launched after a clinical trial at the University of Nottingham. The Neupulse device is worn like a watch. It sends rhythmic pulses along the median nerve, up into the brain areas that control movement, and researchers say it entrains those areas at a frequency linked to the suppression of movement.

Researchers report an average 25% reduction in tics. The device is not yet available on the NHS. It is awaiting regulatory approval before it can be made available.

Tourette's causes sudden, repetitive sounds or movements that people cannot control. There is no cure. About 300,000 people in the UK live with the condition. Symptoms can include swearing, jaw clenching, opening the mouth, arm movements, throat clearing, shoulder shrugging, stomach tics, pulling faces and eye tics. For some people, tics are painful and exhausting. They can get worse with stress and can make everyday tasks, such as using a knife or holding a coffee cup, difficult or unsafe.

The launch follows the film 'I Swear', which tells the true story of John Davidson, who has Tourette's. In the film, he is seen wearing a prototype device that helps suppress tics. This week, that device, called Neupulse, was officially launched after the successful trial.

Three people who took part in the trial, Lamara, Ash and Katie, described the effect it had on them. Lamara was diagnosed in January 2022, when she was 23. She said that before using the device, she could feel a notification in her brain that a tic was about to happen. With the device, she could see the tic in the distance and then it would go away. She described the first day as the best day of her life and said it had given her confidence to go away to university and to take part in dance shows without worrying about tics.

Ash, 37, has motor tics. He said Tourette's can be physically painful. He has caused permanent damage to his jaw from a tic that widens it, has cracked teeth, and feels drained and exhausted from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed. There was a clear difference when he wore the device. He said he could still feel the urges to tic, but his brain could say no. He described a full body sense of calm and said he had a little cry. He also said the first thing he wanted to do with the device was treat himself to a coffee, which he could drink from a paper cup without squeezing it and scalding his hands.

Katie has missed a lot of school because of Tourette's. When she suppressed tics during the school day, she said they would come out at home like a volcano. She would be on the floor, dizzy, unwell and in a lot of pain. The trial participants said the device had changed their lives in ways others might not think of.

For support and more information, the report pointed viewers to tourettesaction.org.uk.