Spatiotemporal Thalamocortical Alterations Underlie Experimental and Chronic Pain

The University of Texas System (UT)

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Pain

Treatments: Device: transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS); Device: Sham; Device: transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT06968689

HSC-MS-25-0062

5R01NS129059-03 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to assess thalamocortical (TC) connectivity during tonic pressure pain, to evaluate alpha activity during tonic pressure pain and to determine pressure pain ratings by using Electroencephalography (EEG), Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS), sham and Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)

Enrollment: 60 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Meet the MRI / EEG screening criteria
• Fluent in English

Exclusion criteria

• Current or history of major medical, neurological, or psychiatric illness based on self-report
• History of cardiac, respiratory, or nervous system disease that, in the investigator's judgment, precludes participation in the study because of a heightened potential for adverse outcome (for example: asthma or claustrophobia)
• History of head trauma
• Pregnant or lactating
• Presence of any contraindications to MRI scanning (for example: cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, claustrophobia, pregnancy, cannot lie still in fMRI scanner)
• Conditions making study participation difficult (e.g., paralysis, psychoses, or other severe psychological problems as per the judgment of a study investigator during Session 1)
• Active substance abuse disorders (based on subject self-report)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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60 participants in 6 patient groups

tACS then tRNS then sham

Experimental group

Treatment:

Device: transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)

Device: Sham

Device: transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

tACS then sham then tRNS

Experimental group

Treatment:

Device: transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)

Device: Sham

Device: transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

tRNS then tACS then sham

Experimental group

Treatment:

Device: transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)

Device: Sham

Device: transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

tRNS then sham then tACS

Experimental group

Treatment:

Device: transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)

Device: Sham

Device: transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

Sham then tRNS then tACS

Experimental group

Treatment:

Device: transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)

Device: Sham

Device: transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)

Sham then tACS then tRNS

Experimental group

Treatment:

Device: transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS)

Device: Sham

Device: transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)