Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Pain Perception (tDCS-CBT)

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Pain

Treatments: Device: cathodal tDCS; Device: sham tDCS; Device: anodal tDCS

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01860950

Pro00019694

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a new medical technology can temporarily alter pain perception. The new technology is called Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Full description

Healthy subjects underwent thermal pain tolerance testing pre- and post intervention. The intervention includes either anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS for 20 minutes during a pain cognitive intervention [either brief cognitive intervention (BCI) or general pain education]. The tDCS brand was the Phoresor-II Auto (Model PM850, Iomed, Salt Lake City Utah, USA) and the current was set to 2.0mA. Electrodes were 4x4 cm sponge electrodes soaked in sterile saline. For anodal and cathodal tDCS, One electrode was placed over the left DLPFC (F3 from the EEG 10-20 system) located via the Beam F3 measurement system and the other electrode was attached to the right shoulder. For sham tDCS, the device was turned on for 30 seconds to temporarily mimic tingling and skin sensations of real tDCS and then ramped-down to 0mA for the duration of the 20-minute session.

Enrollment: 79 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 75 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• 100 Health Individuals recruited from Charleston ,SC

Exclusion criteria

• Can not be pregnant
• No history of Depression, chronic pain, Seizers, suicidal implanted metal devices, history of brain surgery, loss of consciousness.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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79 participants in 6 patient groups

anodal tDCS plus BCI

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants underwent Brief Cognitive intervention (BCI) during a single 20-minute session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the anode electrode placed over the left DLPFC and the cathode electrode attached to the right shoulder (Brand Phoresor-II Auto) . BCI entails listening to a 3-minute audio recording designed to mimic key components of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for pain.

Treatment:

Device: anodal tDCS

anodal tDCS plus pain-education

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants were provided pain education during a single 20-minute session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the anode electrode placed over the left DLPFC and the cathode electrode attached to the right shoulder. Pain Education information included Pain Physiology, info on the Gate Theory of Pain, and Central Pain Processing.

Treatment:

Device: anodal tDCS

cathodal tDCS plus BCI

Experimental group

Description:

Participants underwent Brief Cognitive intervention (BCI) during a single 20-minute session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the anode attached to the right shoulder and the cathode electrode placed over the left DLPFC. BCI entails listening to a 3-minute audio recording designed to mimic key components of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for pain.

Treatment:

Device: cathodal tDCS

cathodal tDCS plus pain-education

Experimental group

Description:

Participants were provided pain education during a single 20-minute session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with the anode electrode attached to the right shoulder and the cathode electrode was placed over the left DLPFC. Pain Education information included Pain Physiology, info on the Gate Theory of Pain, and Central Pain Processing.

Treatment:

Device: cathodal tDCS

sham tDCS plus BCI

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Participants underwent Brief Cognitive intervention (BCI) during 20 minutes of sham tDCS. For sham, the device was turned on for 30 seconds to temporarily mimic tingling and skin sensations of real tDCS and then ramped-down to 0mA for the duration of the 20-minute session.

Treatment:

Device: sham tDCS

sham tDCS plus pain-education

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Participants were provided pain education during 20 minutes of sham tDCS. For sham, the device was turned on for 30 seconds to temporarily mimic tingling and skin sensations of real tDCS and then ramped-down to 0mA for the duration of the 20-minute session. Pain Education information included Pain Physiology, info on the Gate Theory of Pain, and Central Pain Processing.

Treatment:

Device: sham tDCS