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

The Analgesic Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Primary Motor Cortex on Central Neuropathic Pain Patients With Spinal Cord Injury

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01781065

Enrollment

Registered

2013-01-31

Start date

2008-03-31

Completion date

2013-06-30

Last updated

2013-07-15

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

Conditions

Neuropathic Pain, Spinal Cord Injury

Brief summary

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.

Detailed 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)

Interventions

DEVICEtranscranial direct current stimulation

Study design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

30 Years to 60 Years

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

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Numeric rating scale for average pain over the preceding 24h	before the first tDCS session, and 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 wk after the start of the stimulation

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Patient global impression of change for pain	before the first tDCS session, and 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 wk after the start of the stimulation

Other

Measure	Time frame
Pain interference in general daily life, mood and sleep	before the first tDCS session, and 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 wk after start of the stimulation

Countries

South Korea

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026