Spaulding-Harvard Model System: Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Chronic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury
April 23, 2020 updated by: Felipe Fregni, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Spaulding-Harvard Spinal Cord Injury (SH-SCI) Study: Effects of tDCS on Chronic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury.
The purpose of this study is to see the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the pain associated with spinal cord injury. This study is part of the Spaulding-Harvard Model System. The investigators hypothesize that there will be a decrease in pain levels with active stimulation, when compared to sham stimulation, using a 3 week stimulation schedule- 1 week of stimulation (5 consecutive days) followed by 2 weeks of stimulation (10 consecutive days) after a 3-month follow up visit. The subject will also have follow ups at 2, 4 and 8 weeks after the second course of stimulation.
If a subject receives sham during the experiment, he/she may enroll in an open-label portion of the study and receive 10 days of active stimulation.
Study Overview
Status
Completed
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Actual)
46
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
-
-
Massachusetts
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Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
- Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
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-
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 and older (Adult, Older Adult)
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Genders Eligible for Study
All
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Over 18 years of age
- History of moderate to severe sublesional pain
Exclusion Criteria:
- Active alcohol or drug dependence, as self-reported
- A history of bipolar disorder or psychosis, as self-reported
- Inability to travel to the study site,
- Current use of any of the following anti-epileptic medications or dopaminergic medications known to reduce or inhibit the benefits of tDCS treatment [53]: carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, ropinirole (Requip), pramipexole (Mirapex), and cabergoline (Dostinex),
- The following contradictions to tDCS: implanted metal plates in the head, or deep brain stimulator (spinal cord implants, including baclofen pumps, are not a contraindication as cranial currents do not reach the spinal cord [24]).
- Pregnancy at time of enrollment
- Current use of ventilator.
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: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Double
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
|---|---|
|
Experimental: Active tDCS
Subjects will undergo 20 minutes active tDCS.
|
Subjects will undergo 15 sessions of tDCS stimulation (either active or sham), 1x per day at 20 minutes per session.
Other Names:
|
|
Sham Comparator: Sham tDCS
Subjects will undergo 20 minutes of sham stimulation.
|
Subjects will undergo 15 sessions of tDCS stimulation (either active or sham), 1x per day at 20 minutes per session.
Other Names:
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Change in Pain Scale
Time Frame: Measured for approximately 6 months
|
Determine whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation is effective in reducing pain in subjects with chronic sublesional neuropathic pain due to spinal cord injury, as measured by changes in the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) from baseline to follow-up (up to 2 months after the final stimulation session).
|
Measured for approximately 6 months
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Changes in Quality of Life Scale
Time Frame: Measured for approximately 6 months
|
Determine whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation is effective in increasing quality of life in subjects with chronic neuropathic sublesional pain due to spinal cord injury, as measured by changes in the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), from baseline to follow-up (up to 2 months after the final stimulation session).
|
Measured for approximately 6 months
|
|
Changes in Mood Scale
Time Frame: Measured for approximately 6 months
|
Determine whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation is effective in improving mood in subjects with chronic neuropathic sublesional pain due to spinal cord injury, as measured by changes in the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9), from baseline to follow-up (up to 2 months after the final stimulation session).
|
Measured for approximately 6 months
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Collaborators
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.
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
December 1, 2011
Primary Completion (Actual)
December 1, 2016
Study Completion (Actual)
December 1, 2016
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
February 8, 2012
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
May 14, 2012
First Posted (Estimate)
May 16, 2012
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
April 24, 2020
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
April 23, 2020
Last Verified
April 1, 2020
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- 2011-p-002353
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
No
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