Neuromodulation: a focus on dorsal root ganglion stimulation

Neuromodulation is defined as a functional change in the CNS neuronal activity through electrical or pharmacological mediation. Applications of neuromodulation have been apparent for centuries, notably in ancient Rome when court physician Scribonius Largus utilized the electrical shock of a torpedo fish as a remedy for headaches and gouty arthritis [1]. The early 20th century made way for the ‘electreat’ device, a precursor to common day peripheral nerve stimulators, which made neuromodulation a widely available commercial therapy for the treatment of pain. Yet no scientific explanation could reliably explain the physiologic mechanisms behind electricity as a therapeutic modality for pain...