‘Zapper’ that sends pulses to the wrist to target Tourette’s could be rolled on on NHS as soon as next year following successful trials

A ‘zapper’ worn on the wrist that slashes symptoms of the speaking disorder Tourette’s syndrome could be rolled out on the NHS next year.

The device, Neupulse, sends electrical pulses to the median nerve in the underside of the wrist to stimulate the part of the brain that causes the involuntary tics associated with the condition.

It has been tested by singer and Tourette’s sufferer Lewis Capaldi, 28, and a clinical trial of 121 British patients found they benefited, on average, with a 25 per cent reduction in tic frequency.

Tic severity was cut by a further 35 per cent with regular use over four weeks.

NHS spending watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says it plans to reach a decision on funding Neupulse by April.

It has been tested by singer and Tourette’s sufferer Lewis Capaldi  (pictured at Glastonbury in 2023)

Tourette’s affects more than 300,000 people in Britain, with sufferers making sudden uncontrolled movements or noises (stock image)

‘Electrical stimulation at the wrist is easy to administer and doesn’t require large, expensive equipment,’ Dr Katherine Dyke, assistant professor of psychology at Nottingham University, told Medscape News UK. ‘This makes possible the development of wearable devices which individuals can use without clinical support.’

Tourette’s affects more than 300,000 people in Britain, with sufferers making sudden uncontrolled movements or noises.

It usually surfaces in children between the ages of two and 15, with symptoms often subsiding during adolescence and early adulthood.

Behavioural therapy, in which patients talk with a specialist about ways of managing symptoms, can help, but research suggests only a fifth of young patients are offered this treatment. Medicines which lower the rate of symptoms are available but have side-effects including depression, weight gain and shaking.

NICE is also deciding whether to approve an online therapy.

A 2021 study found that ten weeks of online prevention therapy – which teaches patients how to suppress tics and tolerate the urge to tic – considerably reduced symptoms in the young.