Nottingham wristwatch device reduces Tourette's tics and could reach NHS
A wristwatch-style device developed by University of Nottingham researchers reduces Tourette's tics and is on sale for £500 while makers seek NHS approval.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on the device's life-changing impact, stimulation mechanism and NHS approval hopes.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC Two, Channel 4, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
In a report by Navtej Johal, BBC News said a wristwatch-style device developed by researchers at the University of Nottingham can reduce the involuntary movements and sounds, known as tics, caused by Tourette syndrome. The report said people with the condition have described the device as life-changing.
According to the BBC, the device looks like a smart watch. Electrodes under its face use gel pads to send electrical stimulation to the median nerve at the wrist, which is connected to the brain through the spinal cord. An app controls the intensity of the stimulation. Trials found that stimulating the nerve can change activity in the brain areas associated with producing tics and substantially reduce them.
BBC News reported that the device is now on sale for £500 through a University of Nottingham spin-out company as a wellness device. Professor Stephen Jackson, who led the research, said the effect on people's lives had been amazing. He said the team was working diligently to get regulatory approval for the Neopulse device as a treatment for Tourette's and was hopeful it would be available through the NHS soon.
The report followed Ollie, 15, who began making involuntary neck movements nearly two years ago because of a functional neurological disorder that his parents first thought might be Tourette syndrome. BBC News said he did not leave the house for a month, did not see his friends and was out of school for six or seven months. His parents said they were at a loss and watched their son deteriorate.
Katie, also 15, has had Tourette's since she was seven. According to the BBC, her tics made it hard to sleep, she became sad a lot of the time and she could not get into school. Her mother heard about the device through a BBC article during a clinical trial. Katie described the change as absolutely life-changing and said she cried the whole way home on the best day of her life.
BBC News reported that the Neopulse C wellness device has recently been used in early trials for people with Parkinson's, with similar plans for people with OCD and anxiety. The report said the device was already making a difference to many people who were struggling.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A University of Nottingham-developed device is being sold for £500 through a spin-out company as a wellness product. | |
| The team is seeking regulatory approval for the Neopulse device as a treatment for Tourette's. | |
| Trials indicated that median nerve stimulation can alter brain activity associated with producing tics. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC One's only report led with the device's life-changing impact, focusing on two teenagers and the electrical stimulation mechanism. It explained the £500 wellness-device status and the push for NHS regulatory approval, and noted early trials in Parkinson's and planned work in OCD and anxiety. The tone was positive and personal, with no independent clinical comment or published trial data included.
- “It's like getting part of your life back”
- “the effect it's had on people's lives has been amazing”
- “It was absolutely life-changing”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.