Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Chronic Pelvic Pain

September 17, 2009 updated by: Summa Health System

We will rigorously test whether modulation of the motor cortex by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an effective treatment for patients with chronic pelvic pain through the following specific aims:

A) The primary aim of this study is to determine whether transcranial direct current stimulation applied to the motor cortex in patients with chronic pelvic pain induces a significant decrease in the pain or symptoms as compared with sham tDCS. We will also measure changes in the clinical symptom scores of multiple pelvic organs, drug intake (narcotic), anxiety, depression, traumatic stress, as well as overall improvement in the quality of life to assess the effects of this treatment.

B) Determine the duration of the clinical effects of tDCS. We will therefore compare the amelioration of pain and related symptoms between active and sham tDCS for one year following treatment.

C) Determine whether tDCS changes the threshold for pain detection as compared with sham tDCS. Patients with chronic pelvic pain have a lower threshold for pain as compared to healthy subjects and we hypothesized that this threshold will increase after stimulation with tDCS.

D) Finally, we will examine whether 5 days of tDCS treatment is safe for use in chronic pelvic pain patients. Safety will be assessed through neuropsychological tests and adverse event reporting.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

24

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Akron, Ohio, United States, 44309
        • Summa Health System

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 55 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects must be females between 18 and 55 years of age.
  • Subjects must have a current VAS for pelvic pain of 5 or more.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known pelvic malignancy.
  • Patients with major depression with suicidal risk as clinically defined.
  • Patients with other known, uncontrolled neuropsychiatric disorders.
  • Abnormal neurological examination other than as signs of the condition studied in the present protocol.
  • Contraindication to tDCS:
  • A history of unmanaged substance abuse or dependence within the last 6 months.
  • A history of previous treatment with tDCS.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: A
During each session, the anode electrode will be placed on the motor cortex (contralateral to the most [or predominant] painful side [or the side where the symptoms begin or the left as a default]) and the cathode will be placed over the contralateral supraorbital area. In active tDCS subjects, 1 mA of transcranial direct current stimulation will be applied for 30 minutes.
Procedure: tDCS
During each session, the anode electrode will be placed on the motor cortex (contralateral to the most [or predominant] painful side [or the side where the symptoms begin or the left as a default]) and the cathode will be placed over the contralateral supraorbital area. In active tDCS subjects, 1 mA of transcranial direct current stimulation will be applied for 30 minutes.
Procedure: tDCS
For sham-controlled tDCS subjects, the same montage will be used; however current will be applied only for 30 seconds.
Placebo Comparator: C
For sham-controlled tDCS subjects, the same montage will be used; however current will be applied only for 30 seconds.
Procedure: tDCS
During each session, the anode electrode will be placed on the motor cortex (contralateral to the most [or predominant] painful side [or the side where the symptoms begin or the left as a default]) and the cathode will be placed over the contralateral supraorbital area. In active tDCS subjects, 1 mA of transcranial direct current stimulation will be applied for 30 minutes.
Procedure: tDCS
For sham-controlled tDCS subjects, the same montage will be used; however current will be applied only for 30 seconds.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Patient Global Assessment (PGA):
Time Frame: 2 weeks
2 weeks
Visual analog scale (VAS) for pain:
Time Frame: 2 weeks
2 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Interstitial cystitis symptom index:
Time Frame: 2 weeks
2 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Summa Health System

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Bradford W Fenton, MD, PhD, Summa Health System

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

January 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2009

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 2, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 2, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

November 6, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 18, 2009

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 17, 2009

Last Verified

September 1, 2009

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RP07066

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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