{
  "id": 691543,
  "title": "Combination spinal cord stimulation at different frequencies produces sustained pain relief with immune activation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/12/combination-spinal-cord-stimulation-at-different-frequencies-produces",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-08-12T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.06.742589v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers have found that using a combination of different frequencies in spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy can provide long-lasting pain relief and trigger immune activation. Spinal cord stimulation is already commonly used to treat neuropathic pain, but its effects typically only last while the stimulation is active.\n\nIn experiments with rats and mice, the team applied a dual-frequency SCS approach, combining 60 Hz and 1 kHz frequencies. This combination resulted in strong relief from mechanical allodynia, a heightened sensitivity to pain, during the stimulation period. More importantly, the analgesic effect continued for days to weeks after the stimulation was stopped.\n\nThe researchers analyzed the spinal cord tissue using RNA sequencing, which revealed significant changes in the expression of genes associated with immune responses. There was an upregulation of pathways related to innate immunity, pro-resolution responses, and neutrophil activation.\n\nFurther experiments showed that removing neutrophils reduced the SCS-induced pain relief, while directly activating a specific immune protein called S100A8 in the spinal fluid mimicked the painkilling effects of the dual-frequency stimulation. This provided evidence that neuroimmune modulation plays a key role in producing sustained pain relief with spinal cord stimulation.\n\nOverall, these findings suggest that using multiple frequencies in SCS therapy may help to prolong the duration of pain relief and highlight the importance of immune system involvement in this treatment approach.",
  "summary": "Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an established therapy for neuropathic pain, typically delivered at either low (60 Hz) or high (1 kHz) frequencies, with analgesic effects largely dependent on active stimulation. Here, we investigated whether combined-frequency SCS produces sustained analgesia beyond stimulation periods and explored the underlying mechanisms. Using a spared nerve injury (SNI)…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}