Does self-compassion alter the cortical activity in M1 vs. DLPFC in response to experimentally induced tonic pain?

Does self-compassion alter the cortical activity in M1 vs. DLPFC in response to experimentally induced tonic pain? - SC-Pain-TMS-EEG

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00038523

Enrollment

Registered

2026-02-03

Start date

2025-12-03

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-03-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

perception of pain

Interventions

Group 1: Healthy participants first complete psychological questionnaires, and their perception of cold pain is then assessed using TMS–EEG, heart rate measurements, and subjective rating scales. Grou

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 30 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Healthy adults Righthandedness No acute or chronic pain Ability to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Current or past psychiatric illnesses Neurological or cardiac diseases (including epilepsy) Pregnancy or lactation Psychoactive medication or substance abuse Metal implants or electronic implants in the head area Repeated or unexplained loss of consciousness

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Self-reported pain intensity during experimentally induced tonic cold pain. Measured by a numerical rating scale (NRS, 0–10) at 30-second intervals during a 3-minute cold pain induction (8 °C), in comparison between self-compassion condition and control condition (within-subjects design).	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Affective pain reaction Valence, arousal and dominance during cold pain induction, recorded by self-assessment manikin (SAM). 2. Heart rate variability (HRV) Changes in the autonomic stress response, in particular the high-frequency HRV (HF-HRV), as well as other time and frequency domain parameters (e.g. RMSSD, SDNN) during pain induction. 3. Cortical excitation and inhibition processes (TMS-EEG) Changes in TMS-evoked potentials (e.a. N45, P60, N100) as well as the excitation/inhibition balance in response to tonic cold pain, depending on the experimental condition (self-pity vs. Control) and the stimulation site (DLPFC vs. M1 vs. Sham).	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Affective pain reaction Valence, arousal and dominance during cold pain induction, recorded by self-assessment manikin (SAM). 2. Heart rate variability (HRV) Changes in the autonomic stress response, in particular the high-frequency HRV (HF-HRV), as well as other time and frequency domain parameters (e.g. RMSSD, SDNN) during pain induction. 3. Cortical excitation and inhibition processes (TMS-EEG) Changes in TMS-evoked potentials (e.a. N45, P60, N100) as well as the excitation/inhibition balance in response to tonic cold pain, depending on the experimental condition (self-pity vs. Control) and the stimulation site (DLPFC vs. M1 vs. Sham).

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactFrank Petzke

Universitätsmedizin Göttingen (UMG), Klinik für Anästhesiologie – Schmerzmedizin und Klinik für Neurologie

schmerzmedizin@med.uni-goettingen.de+49 551 396 7781

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Mar 14, 2026