Neuromodulation gaining momentum as a transformative force in neuro care

Editor's Note

Neuromodulation is shifting from the margins to the forefront of neurological treatment, offering real-world potential to transform care for conditions like epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and substance use disorder. As reported by Medical Device Network on May 19, the field is seeing accelerated innovation and investment, with global market projections reaching $20.9 billion by 2033, up from $12.5 billion in 2023, according to GlobalData.

Interviewed by the outlet, Avi Yaron, co-founder of Serendipity Impact VC who delivered a keynote on the therapeutic promise of neuromodulation at this year’s Biomed Israel 2025 in Tel Aviv, said he views neuromodulation as a powerful alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals. He emphasized that while drugs can suppress symptoms by interfering with neurotransmitters, they rarely address root causes. In contrast, neuromodulation technologies—such as responsive neurostimulation (RNS)—can prevent epileptic seizures before they occur and may delay the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s.

Yaron described neuromodulation as a way to restore autonomy to patients whose lives have been overtaken by their conditions. While he acknowledged the importance of drugs for conditions like schizophrenia, he argued that neuromodulation can reduce long-term reliance on medication for many others, potentially leading to remission or even cure. Closed-loop neuromodulation systems, which monitor brain or physiological activity and adjust stimulation in real time, enable more personalized treatments. According to Yaron, integrating these systems with artificial intelligence can help match patients with the right therapies and providers while accommodating individual characteristics like age, gender, and ethnicity—variables that may be overlooked in standardized care.

According to a 2025 systematic review published in Cureus, noninvasive neuromodulation techniques like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can reduce opioid consumption and postoperative pain following lumbar spine surgery. One trial showed patients receiving TENS before and after surgery used 62% less opioid medication than those given a sham treatment. Another study found tDCS reduced opioid use by 23%, though results for pain scores were mixed. The review concluded that while evidence is still limited, neuromodulation could offer a safer, opioid-sparing adjunct to postoperative pain management.

Surgeons and anesthesiologists also harness neuromodulation intraoperatively. Peripheral autonomic modulation—such as vagus nerve stimulation—shows promise in reducing perioperative pain and organ injury by enhancing vagal activity during surgery, based on both experimental and clinical studies. Meanwhile, intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, a form of electrophysiologic neuromodulation, is routinely used to safeguard neural structures during spinal, brain, vascular, and ENT procedures by providing real-time feedback. Another is sacral nerve stimulation, which is employed surgically to treat pelvic disorders like incontinence and chronic pelvic pain, offering minimally invasive relief where conventional therapies fall short.