Noninvasive Neuromodulation Of The Subjective Value Network In Chronic Pain

September 1, 2026 updated by: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Noninvasive Neuromodulation of the Subjective Value Network in Chronic Pain

Study Description:

This is an outpatient pilot study of the feasibility and tolerability of transcranial magnetic stimulation, directed to the network of brain regions responsible for assigning value to events, in patients with chronic pain. The primary hypothesis is that this study intervention will be feasible and tolerated well. The secondary hypothesis is that such study intervention will reduce the severity of chronic pain.

Objectives:

Primary Objective:

To establish the feasibility and tolerability of multi-day TMS in chronic pain patients.

Secondary Objective:

To obtain preliminary information on whether network-targeted TMS changes chronic pain ratings.

Exploratory Objectives:

To evaluate effects of study intervention on moment-to-moment pain and emotional experience, continuous actigraphy, HEAL Core Common Data Elements, and, when fMRI is feasible, resting state functional connectivity before and after study intervention blocks.

Endpoints:

Primary Endpoint:

Completion of at least two consecutive study intervention blocks, including one real on-target stimulation block and one off-target control stimulation block.

Secondary Endpoint:

Mean change in self-rated pain on the McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form after real on-target study intervention blocks compared with off-target control blocks.

Exploratory Endpoints:

Mean changes in Ecological Momentary Assessment, actigraphy, HEAL Core Common Data Elements, and, when fMRI is feasible, resting state functional connectivity after real on-target stimulation blocks compared with off-target control blocks.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Study Description:

This is an outpatient pilot study of the feasibility and tolerability of transcranial magnetic stimulation, directed to the network of brain regions responsible for assigning value to events, in patients with chronic pain. The primary hypothesis is that this study intervention will be feasible and tolerated well. The secondary hypothesis is that such study intervention will reduce the severity of chronic pain.

Objectives:

Primary Objective:

To establish the feasibility and tolerability of multi-day TMS in chronic pain patients.

Secondary Objective:

To obtain preliminary information on whether network-targeted TMS changes chronic pain ratings.

Exploratory Objectives:

To evaluate effects of study intervention on moment-to-moment pain and emotional experience, continuous actigraphy, HEAL Core Common Data Elements, and, when fMRI is feasible, resting state functional connectivity before and after study intervention blocks.

Endpoints:

Primary Endpoint:

Completion of at least two consecutive study intervention blocks, including one real on-target stimulation block and one off-target control stimulation block.

Secondary Endpoint:

Mean change in self-rated pain on the McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form after real on-target study intervention blocks compared with off-target control blocks.

Exploratory Endpoints:

Mean changes in Ecological Momentary Assessment, actigraphy, HEAL Core Common Data Elements, and, when fMRI is feasible, resting state functional connectivity after real on-target stimulation blocks compared with off-target control blocks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
9

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
        • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
        • Contact:
          • NIH Clinical Center Office of Patient Recruitment (OPR)
          • Phone Number: TTY dial 711 800-411-1222
          • Email: ccopr@nih.gov

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

  • INCLUSION CRITERIA:

In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Participant must be willing to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study.
  • Male and female patients of 18 years of age or older.
  • Diagnosed with peripheral or central neuropathic pain of at least three months duration and phenotyped by the PRC under protocol 16-AT-0077, and on a stable pain medication regimen
  • In stable health as determined by study personnel, and without acute medical or mental illness for the past six weeks

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:

  • Concurrent epilepsy or history of seizure in the last year
  • Inability to provide informed consent
  • Ferromagnetic metal in the cranial cavity or eye, implanted neural stimulator, cochlear implant, or ocular foreign body
  • Implanted electronics contraindicated for MRI or TMS, such as cardiac pacemaker or auto-defibrillator or pumps
  • Non-removable body piercings
  • Claustrophobia severe enough to preclude MRI
  • Inability to lie supine for 1 hour
  • Members of the NINDS BNU or NIHPRC
  • Individuals with elevated risk and potential contraindications to MRI, as defined by the NIH NMR center guidelines.
  • Known hearing loss, as assessed by asking the potential participant whether they have hearing loss
  • Have difficulties with communication that make subjective pain assessment impossible or unreliable
  • Have active medical or psychiatric health issues that create additional and substantial adverse risks related to study procedures
  • Pregnant participants or participants planning to become pregnant during the study. At enrollment/baseline, pregnancy status will be assessed by asking participants capable of becoming pregnant whether they are pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study. Before each fMRI, participants capable of becoming pregnant must have a negative urine pregnancy test to continue with the fMRI.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Device Feasibility
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: Sequence A
Real on-target > off-target control > off-target control > real on-target
Device: Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Delivered to parietal region with connectivity to medial orbitofrontal cortex, based on individual functional connectivity. Treatment blocks consist of three days of real or off-target (sham) stimulation.
Other: Sham
Off-target control stimulation intervention
Other: Sequence B
Sequence B = off-target control > real on-target > real on-target > off-target control.
Device: Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Delivered to parietal region with connectivity to medial orbitofrontal cortex, based on individual functional connectivity. Treatment blocks consist of three days of real or off-target (sham) stimulation.
Other: Sham
Off-target control stimulation intervention

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To evaluate the tolerability and feasibility of transcranial magnetic stimulation in chronic pain patients.
Time Frame: 36 months
Successful completion of targeting MRI and a 3-day course of stimulation.
36 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To measure effects on pain, using an N-of-1 design and cross-sectional and continuous measures
Time Frame: 36 months
The change in self-rated pain and function on an Ecological Momentary Assessment.
36 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Eric M Wassermann, M.D., National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 1, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 1, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 1, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 14, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 10002566
  • 002566-N

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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