Filoni Serena, Romano Francesco, Cardone Daniela, Palmieri Roberta, Forte Alessandro, Di Iorio Angelo, Calabrò Rocco Salvatore, Pellegrino Raffaello, Palmieri Chiara, Russo Emanuele Francesco, Perpetuini David, Merla Arcangelo
Unit of Neuro-Rehabilitation, IRCCS "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza", 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
Department of Engineering and Geology, University "Gabriele D'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, 65127 Pescara, Italy.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2025 Sep 18;12(9):994. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering12090994.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease often resulting in motor and autonomic dysfunction. This case report investigates the acute and subacute effects of the EXOPULSE Mollii Suit (EMS), a wearable device capable of delivering transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to multiple anatomical regions, in a 43-year-old woman with MS. The patient underwent a clinical evaluation before the EMS treatment, during which central nervous system (CNS) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses were monitored using electroencephalography (EEG), heart rate variability (HRV), and infrared thermography (IRT). Immediately after the first EMS application, the clinical evaluation was repeated. The intervention continued at home for one month, followed by a post-treatment evaluation similar to the pre-intervention assessment. Functional evaluations showed improvements in sit-to-stand performance (from 8 s to 6 s), muscle tone (MAS scale for the right side from 3 to 2 and for the left side from 2 to 1), clonus, and spasticity (from 3 to 2). EEG results revealed decreased θ-band power (on average, from 0.394 to 0.253) and microstates' reorganization. ANS activity modifications were highlighted by both HRV (e.g., RMSSD from 0.118 to 0.0837) and IRT metrics (e.g., nose tip temperature sample entropy from 0.090 to 0.239). This study provides the first integrated analysis of CNS and ANS responses to EMS in an MS patient, combining functional scales with multimodal instrumental measurements, emphasizing the possible advantages EMS for MS treatment. Although preliminary, these results demonstrated the potentiality of the EMS to deliver effective and personalized rehabilitative interventions for MS patients.
多发性硬化症(MS)是一种慢性神经疾病,常导致运动和自主神经功能障碍。本病例报告研究了EXOPULSE Mollii Suit(一种能够向多个解剖区域传递经皮电神经刺激的可穿戴设备)对一名43岁MS女性患者的急性和亚急性影响。患者在接受EMS治疗前进行了临床评估,在此期间使用脑电图(EEG)、心率变异性(HRV)和红外热成像(IRT)监测中枢神经系统(CNS)和自主神经系统(ANS)的反应。在首次应用EMS后立即重复进行临床评估。干预在家中持续了一个月,随后进行了与干预前评估类似的治疗后评估。功能评估显示,从坐立到站立的表现有所改善(从8秒降至6秒)、肌肉张力(右侧MAS量表从3降至2,左侧从2降至1)、阵挛和痉挛(从3降至2)。EEG结果显示θ波段功率降低(平均从0.394降至0.253)以及微状态重组。HRV(例如,RMSSD从0.118降至0.0837)和IRT指标(例如,鼻尖温度样本熵从0.090升至0.239)均突出了ANS活动的变化。本研究首次对MS患者对EMS的CNS和ANS反应进行了综合分析,将功能量表与多模态仪器测量相结合,强调了EMS在MS治疗中的可能优势。尽管这些结果是初步的,但它们证明了EMS为MS患者提供有效且个性化康复干预的潜力。