Modulating Pain Using Transcranial Alternating Stimulation (tACS) in Healthy Human Subjects

Technical University of Munich

Status

Completed

Conditions

Experimental Pain in Healthy Human Subjects

Treatments

Device: Sham stimulation of the prefrontal cortex

Device: 80 Hz tACS of the prefrontal cortex

Device: 10 Hz tACS of the bilateral somatosensory cortex

Device: 10 Hz tACS of the prefrontal cortex

Device: 80 Hz tACS of the bilateral somatosensory cortex

Device: Sham stimulation of the bilateral somatosensory cortex

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT03805854

01/2019

Details and patient eligibility

About

Pain is a highly complex and subjective phenomenon which results from the dynamic integration of sensory and contextual (i.e. cognitive, emotional, and motivational) processes. Recent evidence suggests that neural oscillations and their synchronization between different brain areas might form the basis of these integrative functions. When investigating tonic experimental pain lasting for several minutes, for example, objective stimulus intensity is inversely related to alpha (8-13 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) oscillations in early somatosensory areas, while subjective pain intensity is positively associated with gamma (30-100 Hz) oscillations in prefrontal cortex. Yet, with a few exemptions, reported links between oscillatory brain activity and pain have mostly been established by correlative approaches which do not allow to infer causality. The current project aims at comprehensively investigating the causal role of neural oscillations for tonic experimental pain in healthy human subjects. To this end, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) will be employed to modulate oscillatory brain activity in alpha and gamma frequency bands and investigate effects of this manipulation on pain perception and pain-related autonomic responses. Using an established tonic pain stimulation protocol and a double-blind, sham-controlled design, effects of tACS of somatosensory as well as prefrontal brain areas will be investigated. Results promise to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying tonic experimental pain by testing the mechanistic role of neural oscillations in different aspects of pain processing. Furthermore, they might contribute to the development of urgently needed new treatment approaches for chronic pain using neuromodulatory methods.

Enrollment

39 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18 to 65 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

aged 18-65 years
Right-handedness
Written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Pregnancy
Neurological or psychiatric diseases (e.g. epilepsy, stroke, depression, anxiety disorders)
Severe general illnesses (e.g. tumors, diabetes)
Skin diseases (e.g. dermatitis, psoriasis or eczema)
Current or recurrent pain
Regular intake of medication
Surgical procedures involving the head or spinal cord
Head trauma followed by impairment of consciousness
Past fainting spells or syncopes
Metal (except titanium) or electronic implants
Side-effects following previous electrical or magnetic stimulation
Side-effects following previous thermal stimulation