Pain
Conditions
Keywords
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)
Brief summary
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)
Interventions
DEVICEtranscranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)
Participants will get a personalized brain stimulation: a 2 milliampere (mA) oscillating current that matches their natural alpha brain wave frequency (8-12 Hz), determined by a quick 3-minute EEG before the session.
DEVICESham
Active sham stimulation with 60- second -tACS will be applied , then ramp down, and be reintroduced in the last 30 seconds to minimize awareness of the experimental condition
Participants will still get stimulation, but at random frequencies between 1 and 200 Hz (instead of targeted alpha waves).
Sponsors
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
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)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Change in thalamocortical (TC) connectivity during tonic pressure pain using fMRI | pre-stimulation, post-stimulation (about 30 minutes) |
| Change in alpha activity during tonic pressure pain using EEG | pre-stimulation, post-stimulation (about 30 minutes) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in pain as assessed by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) | pre-stimulation, post-stimulation (about 30 minutes) | The VAS is scored from 0 = no pain; 10 = the most intense pain tolerable, higher number indicating more pain |
Countries
United States
Contacts
CONTACTWen Li, PhD
CONTACTJada Malveaux
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORWen Li, PhD
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
Outcome results
None listed