The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Central Pain in Patients With Spinal Cord Injury

Seoul National University

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2

Conditions: Neuropathic Pain; Spinal Cord Injury

Treatments: Device: transcranial direct current stimulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01781065

11-2008-010 SNUBH

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the analgesic effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied on motor cortex in patients with spinal cord injury who have chronic neuropathic pain.

Full description

• anodal stimulation of the primary motor cortex (M1)
• anode electrode: C3 (EEG 10/20 system)
• cathode electrode: contralateral supraorbital area
• constant current of 2mA intensity for 20 min
• twice a day with a more than 4 hours interval during of 2 weeks (from Monday to Friday, total 20 treatment session)

Enrollment: 16 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 30 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• elapsed time since spinal cord injury more than 6 months
• stable chronic pain for at least 3 preceding months
• pain that was not attributable to cause other that neuropathic pain
• pain that was resistant to various types of medications or physical or complementary medicine treatment

Exclusion criteria

• any kind of metal implant in the head
• heart disease including having a cardiac maker
• family or personal history of epilepsy, or neuropsychiatric illness

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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16 participants in 2 patient groups

transcranial direct current stimulation

Experimental group

Description:

Anodal stimulation on motor cortex

Treatment:

Device: transcranial direct current stimulation

Sham transcranial direct current stimulation

Sham Comparator group

Description:

Turn off after 10 s of stimulation

Treatment:

Device: transcranial direct current stimulation