Providing solutions for people who have a fear of needles. A major problem with the physical and emotional stress reactions that can occur before or during injections is that they happen gradually and unconsciously. In addition, they are only visible "to the naked eye" once they are already strong.
Research at Tilburg University is therefore focusing on developing a method that can detect how a patient is doing based on facial data, before he or she can see or feel it themselves. The method is based on the assumption that the brain causes certain stress, reactions of fear or tension, which are often not consciously felt until it is too late. That makes it difficult to influence them. A neuroscientific technique called 'biofeedback' could help. A game is being developed where it is not only possible to give a patient insight into his or her emotional and physical reactions, but also to teach him or her how to control and prevent them.