Previous research has shown that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can produce pain relief in individuals with neuropathic pain (NP),
Conditions
Interventions
The study was a pilot study performed over 5 weeks consisting of: (1) a 1-
week baseline assessment
(2) 5 consecutively days of 2 mA anodal transcranial direct current stimulation for 20 min
and (3) a 3-
week follow up period. Study measures were administered during baseline and during treatment,
and then again weekly during the follow-
Experimental Device
Treatment group
Sponsors
Khon Kaen University
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
20 Years to 60 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: (1) right handed traumatic spinal cord injury due to an accident, a gunshot, or disease; (2) bilateral pain that was had the same intensity on both sides of the body with an average pain intensity rating before tDCS treatment of 4 or greater, as measured by a 0-10 numerical rating scale (0 = “No pain†to 10 = “Worst pain that you could imagineâ€); (3) presenting with a pain problem that was refractory to medications, including tricyclic antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, and/or opioids (i.e., pain that does not respond to at least two of these drugs supplied in adequate doses for 6 months); (4) no evidence of progressive neurological disease or other secondary conditions that could impact pain; and (5) not having used an alternative treatment for pain (herbal remedies and other alternative therapies) in the previous month.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: (1) a diagnosis of syringomyelia; (2) current or history of drug abuse or addiction; (3) current psychiatric disorder such as schizophrenia (per medical record), depression (as indicated by a score of 16 or greater on the Beck Depression Inventory(BDI); Wongchai, 2003) or severe anxiety (as indicated by a score of 39 or lower – lower scores indicate greater anxiety – on the Anxiety scale of the Symptom Checklist-90 [SCL-90; Department of Mental Health, 2011a]); (4) significant cognitive deficits (as indicated by a score of 22 or lower on the Thai Mental State Examination [Department of Mental Health, 2011b]); (5) history of loss of consciousness or post-traumatic amnesia at the time of injury; (6) skull defects that would interfere with tDCS treatment; and (7) contraindications for undergoing an MRI scan, i.e., patients who have a heart pacemaker, a metallic foreign body (metal sliver) in their eye, or an aneurysm clip in their brain, severe claustrophobia.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Brain metabolytes Pre treatment and Post-treatment day 0, week 1, week 2, week 3 MRS | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Pain score Pre treatment and Post-treatment day 0, week 1, week 2, week 3 NRS | — |
Countries
Thailand
Contacts
Public ContactParadee Auvichayapat
Khon Kaen University
Outcome results
None listed