Lewis Capaldi has revealed that he has taken part in a clinical trial to improve his tics caused by Tourette’s syndrome. The trial is testing the efficacy of wrist devices that deliver electric pulses to the wearer to reduce the amount and the severity of tics.
Capaldi has been candid about his struggles with Tourette’s, opening up about his condition in 2022. On an Instagram Live, he said it’s “not a big deal” but that some days are “more painful than others.”
During an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show, Capaldi joked that people think that he is “on cocaine quite a lot” as a result of his Tourette’s related behaviours. Despite initially not wanting it to be a “big thing” he has now labelled himself “the poster boy for Tourette’s. Which I’ll take, I’ll gladly accept that.”
Prior to his diagnosis, Capaldi shared “I thought I had a degenerative disease so to be told it was, in fact, that I had Tourette’s was, as you can imagine, quite the relief.”
Tourette’s syndrome is a neurodevelopmental condition that causes involuntary sounds and movements called tics. The tics can vary in strength, with Capaldi sharing that his tics predominantly come in the form of head twitches and his “left shoulder going up.”
The trial centred around the Neupulse device was developed by the University of Nottingham with Neurotherapeutics Ltd., with Capaldi trying out a prototype of the device.
The trial included 121 people in the UK, who, on average, experienced a reduction in tic frequency and severity by 25%. The participants wore the device for 15 minutes per day for one month and gave their feedback each week.
The results revealed that those who received active stimulation from the device for one month saw a reduction in the severity of their tics by more than 35%. In total, 59% of the trial participants experienced a reduction in their tics by a minimum of 25%.
Capaldi’s results were reportedly “remarkable“.
Professor Stephen Jackson who led the research said, “Lewis stated that the stimulation made him feel calmer and the device clearly suppressed the head and shoulder tics which can be quite painful for him.”
Following the trial, Prof. Stephen Jackson shared that Capaldi “very generously invited the whole team to his Friday night concert in Nottingham.”
Since his diagnosis, Capaldi has continued to be open about his experience with the syndrome, sharing on stage that it’s “nothing to be worried about.” He joked that when he twitches “it kinda looks like I’m dancing.”
The University of Nottingham have recently secured an additional £1m in funding to commercialise the device.
Tickets to see Lewis Capaldi live are available to purchase here.
26/08/2023 – Reading Festival – Reading
27/08/2023 – Leeds Festival – Leeds
30/08/2023 – 01/09/2023 – Royal Highland Centre – Edinburgh
03/09/2023 – Vital – Belfast
Preorder Capaldi’s new album Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, set to be released 19th May 2023, here.
