ALSUntangled #75: Portable neuromodulation stimulator therapy
Spurred by patient interest, ALSUntangled herein examines the potential of the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS™) in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The PoNS™ device, FDA-approved for the treatment of gait deficits in adult patients with multiple sclerosis, utilizes translingual neurostimulation to stimulate trigeminal and facial nerves via the tongue, aiming to induce neuroplastic changes. While there are early, promising data for PoNS treatment to improve gait and balance in multiple sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury, no pre-clinical or clinical studies have been performed in ALS. Although reasonably safe, high costs and prescription requirements will limit PoNS accessibility. At this time, due to the lack of ALS-relevant data, we cannot endorse the use of PoNS as an ALS treatment.
Authors
- Terry Heiman‐Patterson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9910-1041)
- Timothy Fullam (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6708-7559)
- Sartaj Jhooty
- Jesse Crayle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5019-338X)
- Lyle W. Ostrow (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7158-5243)
- John Sladky
- Gregory T. Carter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7617-4750)
- Michael Benatar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4241-5135)
- Paul Wicks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2293-9284)
- Christopher J. McDermott (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1269-9053)
- Eva L. Feldman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9162-2694)
- Robert Bowser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5404-7259)
- Gary L. Pattee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8365-6707)
- Dylan Ratner
- Alexandra R. Linares (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1369-4921)
- Carlayne E. Jackson
- Tasnim Mushannen
- Olimpia Carbunar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1065-5411)
- Carmel Armon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3881-351X)
- Javier Mascías Cadavid
- Paul E. Barkhaus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8268-8643)
- Laurel Officer
- Keelie Denson
- Danelle Levinson
- Xiaoyan Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1144-0648)
- Ronak Patel
- Yuyao Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8984-5231)
- Andrew Brown (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2884-8672)
- Richard Bedlack (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4666-7495)
- E. Mallon
- Mark B. Bromberg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3230-7130)
- Tulio E. Bertorini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0028-5929)
- Morgan Beauchamp
Institutions
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- UNC Libraries
- Published
- 2025-04-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.17615/q4yc-w741
- Primary Topic
- Neurological disorders and treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00