Mechanistic Studies on Video-guided Acupuncture Imagery Treatment of Pain

Mass General Brigham

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Pain

Treatments: Other: Real acupuncture; Other: VGAIT; Other: VGAIT control; Other: Sham acupuncture

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03046030

2016P001293

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of this proposal is to investigate brain response and connectivity changes evoked by video-guided acupuncture imagery treatment (VGAIT) and verum and sham acupuncture in healthy and patient populations to elucidate the underlying brain mechanisms of mind-body interaction, imagery, and acupuncture.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Right handed healthy male and female adults aged 18-60
• No contraindications to fMRI scanning

Exclusion criteria

• Current or past history of major medical, neurological, or psychiatric illness
• Any pain disorder
• Pregnancy
• Non-fluent speaker of English

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 1 patient group

Healthy Volunteers

Experimental group

Description:

In this experiment, we will apply a crossover design in healthy subjects. Each subject will receive four treatments in four separate sessions: 1) VGAIT, 2) VGAIT control condition, 3) real acupuncture, and 4) sham acupuncture. Each session will be separated by at least 7 days. Subjects will participate in five experimental sessions: a training and familiarity behavioral session and four fMRI sessions during which the subject will receive one of the four treatments.

Treatment:

Other: Sham acupuncture

Other: VGAIT

Other: VGAIT control

Other: Real acupuncture