There’s a commotion in the corridor. You catch one of your clinic doctor’s eyes. There’s a gleam you can’t quite read. He waves you over. You check your watch. You have a few minutes before the next meeting, so you decide to feed your curiosity.
“What’s the matter?” you ask.
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The doctor nods at a man and woman, both in their thirties, with a look on their faces somewhere between awe and bewilderment — shock and disbelief.
“These are the children of Kyria [name omitted], the dementia case I told you about.”
You nod. “Has she not taken to the treatment?”
The woman lets out a short laugh. You turn to see her beaming. “Mum is smoking.”
You frown. “I see. That is not a healthy option for her condition. We should—”
The woman shakes her head. Another laugh.
“No, don’t you see? She’s smoking!”
You look to the doctor, who is also smiling, clearly amused by the whole scene.
“Are we not upset she’s smoking?” you ask, confused.
The man takes a step forward. “Mum was a chain-smoker for years,” he explains. His sister takes his hand, squeezes it tightly. “She stopped because she forgot how. It was the last thing to go before…” He glances at his sister. “We’d lost all hope she would ever come back. But now… What else will she remember?”
Beyond Pills and Surgery: The Rise of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation
Neuromodulation is the therapeutic alteration of nerve activity through targeted delivery of a stimulus to specific sites in the body, mainly the brain or nervous system. While some approaches require surgery, non-invasive methods deliver this electrical, magnetic, or ultrasound energy stimulation through the skin or scalp, offering a drug-free option with minimal risk.
In recent years, clinical evidence for non-invasive neuromodulation as an adjunct to standard care has grown steadily. Recent studies show that when combined with established treatments like antidepressant medication, physical therapy, or cognitive-behavioural therapy, non-invasive neuromodulation can significantly improve outcomes. It is especially beneficial for patients who can’t tolerate medications currently on the market or have exhausted other options.
For example:
- A 2025 JAMA Network Open meta-analysis found that transcranial electrical stimulation (tDCS) reduces depressive symptoms when combined with antidepressant medication. Used alone, the results were inconsistent.
- A 2025 double-blind trial conducted at UCLA showed that high-definition tDCS, delivered in clinic environments under trained supervision, led to statistically significant mood improvement versus sham within four weeks.
- For chronic insomnia, a randomized clinical trial reported transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) reduced insomnia severity scores and improved sleep quality Index, with benefits lasting up to 20 weeks. The authors call for larger multicentre studies, but the results are promising as far as supporting taVNS as a credible add-on alongside cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia and medication management.
- Early results from a 2025 randomized clinical trial using ultrasound-based transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) in combination with standard care found cognitive gains in younger patients with memory concerns, supported by functional imaging that showed increased memory-related activation and connectivity. The investigators describe the findings as promising and call for larger, longer studies.
Two patterns emerge across all these studies:
- The outcomes depend on the choice of protocol, i.e., where, how, and when stimulation is applied.
- The greatest benefits are seen when electrical stimulation interventions complement, rather than replace, standard care.
This is where SOZO Brain Center comes in. The clinic doesn’t promise miracle cures. Instead, it integrates clinically validated, non-invasive, and drug-free brain-stimulation neuromodulation techniques as supplementary treatment protocols tailored to each patient’s condition and medical history. But their ambition goes beyond treatment.
In this interview, Matthew Papadopoulos, CEO of SOZO Brain Center, sets out his vision to build a global training and data hub in Cyprus for neuromodulation treatment, share outcomes, and empower doctors (and patients) worldwide to offer this emerging therapy with confidence.
Can you start from the beginning: your path in AIMIS Healthcare Group and the moments that led you to create SOZO Brain Center?
I grew up in a family business called AIMIS Healthcare Group. The company deals with medical tourism, robotic surgery, clinics across Cyprus, clinical laboratories, medical diagnostic centers, and implants and disposables companies. When I came back from university, it made sense to help expand the operations. We had also bought a building in Limassol and were in advanced talks to renovate it into a hospital.
In the meantime, Petros Kattou, one of the doctors in our clinics, was suffering from chronic pain. Pharmaceutical drugs were not helping him. Surgery also did not help. During his research, he stumbled across neuromodulation. He tried it, saw some amazing results, and asked if he could bring the devices into our clinics. We were so focused on the hospital at the time that we didn’t pay too much attention. A few weeks later, during a meeting, he shared a video of a stage-five, wheelchair-bound Parkinson’s case that had been completely dystonic. With a stimulator device on his head, the patient was dancing zeibekiko in our clinic. The next week, there was a multiple sclerosis case who previously could barely walk. He was sprinting up and down our corridor. The week after, a stroke patient who had lost hand function was twirling a knife. That’s when we realized this was serious.
We called a board meeting. I must confess that I said no at first to moving ahead with a neuromodulation program and to creating something new at the time, because we had too many projects to juggle at the time. Everyone agreed and voted no. Then my father, Marios Papadopoulos, who is the chairman and CEO of AIMIS, vetoed the decision and said we would go ahead. So, we did. That is how SOZO was born.
What is the SOZO Brain Center model today?
SOZO Brain Center is an organisation dedicated to advancing non-invasive, drug-free, and clinically validated brain-stimulation neuromodulation techniques. We began with clinics in Cyprus, but our model is now expanding globally with SOZO Brain Center branded Partnerships and a SOZO Fellowship licensing program.
It all starts with a two-day workshop we deliver directly to doctors in their cities. We bring live patients and demonstrate real cases such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and depression, showing how brain stimulation can be integrated into practice. Our audience isn’t just neurologists or psychiatrists; it includes GPs and neurologists, gynaecologists, dentists, and oncologists. Brain health, after all, touches every specialty.
Our philosophy is method over device. Buying a machine isn’t enough. Outcomes depend on where you stimulate, when, how often, and how you combine and adjust modalities. Our toolbox includes cranial stimulation, transauricular vagus nerve stimulation, translingual approaches, and selected peripheral or spinal techniques, with electrical, magnetic, and pulse-wave options matched to the condition.
After running a few workshops, we built a Licensing Program called the “SOZO Fellowship” and then the franchising model called the “SOZO Partnership.” Licensed clinicians receive our Functional Network Oriented Neuromodulation (FNON) protocols and ongoing clinical guidance, which they can use them in their own regional clinics. We also support them with approved medical devices and, where appropriate, a brain-health supplements line that fits the protocols.
We have also launched a proof-of-concept that generates pre- and post-treatment reports with AI-assisted diagnostics, so clinicians and patients can see any changes and plan next steps. To ensure sustainable and scalable global growth, we’re also launching a Research & Clinical Trials Center and a CME (Continuous Medical Education) Accredited e-Learning platform, which will support the medical efficacy of our neuromodulation treatment practices.
What was the early reaction from patients and the local medical market?
At first, patients were skeptical. We heard everything from “This doesn’t work” and “It’s scary” to “Why are you trying to zap my brain?”
Our medical team, neurologists, psychiatrists, chronic pain specialists, and neurosurgeons, created protocols on how to apply neuromodulation: where to target the stimulation, when to stimulate the brain, how often to stimulate the brain, and when and how to combine stimulation techniques.
What they did was show the clinical evidence, the peer-reviewed studies on how, for example, cranial stimulation can help depression, or how transcranial pulse stimulation could improve memory for dementia patients.
Once people saw the scientific proof and the results, slowly, more and more patients warmed up to the method. Patients began reporting real improvements. From there, word spread. It took off very fast.
This started in Cyprus, and now it is growing all over the world. We are seeing patients from Sri Lanka, Australia, Kazakhstan, Chile, Canada… You name it. Patients who had exhausted their other options with their doctors and weren’t seeing significant results were reaching out.
They have an online consultation call with our medical team, share their history and their brain MRIs, and our team assesses whether neuromodulation could be part of their treatment plan.
As for our medical colleagues from other clinics? We did get some early pushback, mostly from doctors who thought we were trying to take away their business. We are not. We are here to empower doctors. By teaching them how to add neuromodulation to their practice, we assist them in differentiating their services, increasing revenue, and giving more hope to their patients. We are slowly building trust with the local market as neuromodulation because more well-known in the field.
Which indications and modalities are you using in clinic and training today, and which do you see as most transformative for the future?
We use a full toolbox of non-invasive techniques.
Starting with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which is a type of cranial stimulation that sends a small electrical current to areas of the brain that are under-activated. We also use transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS). It is a larger system, closer to an ultrasound form factor, that delivers short pulse waves across targeted brain regions for different medical conditions. Then there is transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), which attaches to the ear and sends electrical stimulation along the vagus nerve.
Then we have cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES) and microcurrent electrical therapy (MET), which can be applied to the ear. These techniques are often combined with peripheral stimulation, for example, for patients who have chronic pain or issues in their joints. In some cases, we even use translingual stimulation, where an electrode sits on the tongue to activate neural pathways through the oral cavity. Finally, we have peripheral and spinal approaches with flexible electrodes that can be placed along the spinal cord or other areas to activate neurons that are not functioning correctly.
All these methods target specific neural networks and support neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself, with protocols matched to each condition. In our workshops, we demonstrate real cases. Typical examples include dementia, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, and depression, and we show doctors how to examine the patient, create treatment neuromodulation plans, and apply each technique so they can use the method safely in their own practice.
Looking ahead, the most transformative element is the AI-assisted reporting. We now measure before-and-after results from neuromodulation and compare them to healthy baselines. The anonymised data collected from clinics around the world returns to our data hub in Cyprus, where we generate pre- and post-treatment reports. This gives doctors, including those new to neuromodulation, an additional tool to plan treatment with more confidence.
Where does neuromodulation fit alongside more traditional medicines and surgery?
Neuromodulation is there to support treatment, not to replace it. Most patients come to us after they have exhausted available pharmaceutical drugs or surgical interventions and still need help. This is a way to support those treatments and actually get better results when you are not seeing results with the current solutions.
Why is Cyprus your base, and how does the neuromodulation data hub fit the plan?
Cyprus is home. This is where our first clinics were based. And this is where we are expanding globally by collecting data from different medical specialties on how they are applying brain stimulation. We are collecting this data and making Cyprus a data hub for global neuromodulation therapists.
We also want to do this for a patriotic reason. Cyprus should be the global neuromodulation reference centre and data hub for treatments.
Who has supported SOZO’s growth so far?
Our growth has been supported by all kinds of people globally. Over 200 doctors from around the world came, saw what we are doing, attended our workshops, and bought our devices. They are our brand ambassadors, spreading the word and bringing in more physicians to learn from us.
Our device suppliers have also been important partners. Unlike many in the space, we do not rely on one device but use many devices for different conditions. A lot of the industry markets “wellness” devices online on Amazon and Alibaba. We focus on providing medically certified devices and training doctors to examine the patient first, before ever prescribing neuromodulation. That approach increases suppliers’ sales, and several have even provided us with exclusive global distribution rights.
We’ve also received encouragement from the Cypriot government. Officials have publicly endorsed our mission. We have applied for grants through the Ministry of Innovation to scale our IT systems, expand our AI diagnostic system internationally, and secure regulatory approvals in new regions.
But the core support engine is our local cross-specialty medical and back-office team. They are the ones creating the protocols and launching them to clinics worldwide. Without their dedication to our mission, none of this would be possible.
How do you handle ethics, consent, and data in your work? And how have you navigated the regulatory bureaucracy?
Ethics comes first, always. Any research we conduct goes through the bioethics committee of the country where it’s happening. If it is a multi-centre study, we secure approvals from each participating country. All the patient data we collect is anonymised, and patients must give their explicit consent before anything is used.
When it comes to regulation, every region has its own framework. In Europe, we follow MDR. In the United States, it’s the FDA. In Australia, the TGA. After that, we register with the local authority in each country.
We have a local team working in parallel on this. One team focuses on a new country, one on a new medical condition, one on a new device. When you add another condition, you start the process again. For example, cranial stimulators approved in Germany for depression may need a separate application for Parkinson’s disease.
So, the only way is country by country, device by device, and condition by condition. It is expensive and time-consuming, but it protects doctors and patients and avoids wellness devices that could harm patients.
What do you want SOZO Brain Center to represent in five years, for Cyprus and globally?
The goal is simple. Cyprus as the global reference centre for non-invasive neuromodulation treatment. We want clinicians to come here and learn the method, see real cases, and return home with consistent, clinically validated protocols. For patients with no other options, we want SOZO to be their best hope. For the doctors, we want to be the trusted partners who equip and empower them with tools and knowledge to save those patients.
The mission is behind the name: SOZO comes from the ancient Greek “to save.” We want to save patients who are suffering from chronic neurological and mental-health conditions by equipping doctors with practical tools so they can help more people, faster, in their own communities.
