None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Pain, particularly neuropathic pain, is a common and debilitating consequence of spinal cord injury. Despite the high prevalence and severity of pain, there are currently no available treatments that provide consistent or satisfactory relief. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a safe non-invasive brain stimulation technique that may be helpful in reducing pain following spinal cord injury. This study is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of tDCS as a treatment for spinal cord injury neuropathic pain. Subjects will undergo 10 tDCS treatment sessions over a period of 5 weeks as well as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans prior to and immediately following each treatment week, and at 10 weeks and 6 months after study commencement. The technique is not painful and no serious side effects have been reported. Our hypothesis is that tDCS will provide relief of neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury. If proven effective, tDCS may provide a much needed non-invasive alternative treatment for patients with persistent spinal cord injury neuropathic pain.
Interventions
Anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of primary motor cortex using a saline-soaked pair of surface sponge electrodes at constant current intensity of 2 milliamps for 20 minutes administered daily during 2 x 5 day periods separated by 4 weeks without treatment. The site of electrode placement will be determined using a standard Electroencephalography (EEG) head cap used to position EEG recording electrodes. The anode electrode will be placed over C3 or C4 (using EEG
Anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of primary motor cortex using a saline-soaked pair of surface sponge electrodes at constant current intensity of 2 milliamps for 20 minutes administered daily during 2 x 5 day periods separated by 4 weeks without treatment. The site of electrode placement will be determined using a standard Electroencephalography (EEG) head cap used to position EEG recording electrodes. The anode electrode will be placed over C3 or C4 (using EEG 10/20 system) and the cathode electrode over the contralateral supraorbital area (i.e. above the opposite eye socket). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pre- and post-treatment to investigate brain alterations associated with reduction in pain intensity using tDCS. Functional MRI (fMRI) and structural imaging performed prior to and immediately following each treatment week and at 10 weeks and 6 months follow-up after study commencement.
Sponsors
Prof Philip Siddall
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Complete thoracic spinal cord injury (American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) A) 6 or more months following injury Medically stable Persistent neuropathic pain present for more than 6 months which is moderate to severe in intensity (greater than or equal to 4/10 on a numerical rating scale) Must give informed consent to participate in the study
Exclusion criteria
Intellectual or mental impairment preventing full understanding of the risks and benefits of participating and/or obtaining informed consent Subjects who have metal objects in their body, anxiety disorders, such as claustrophobia, panic attacks or any psychiatric disorder may be excluded
Outcome results
None listed