Ketamine and fMRI for Neuropathic Pain

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Predict and Correlate Clinical Outcomes of Ketamine Infusions for Refractory Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic or nerve injury related pain (NP), an extremely unpleasant condition that is difficult to treat, often has a severe, persistent, and unremitting course. Conventional treatments are often ineffective in relieving NP. Recently, the investigators have developed a cost-efficient regimen involving use of low dose infusions of ketamine for treating neuropathic pain in patients in whom oral medications have failed. We have observed excellent benefits in many of these patients. However, this treatment requires titration and monitoring during the infusion and currently it is not possible to predict which patients will benefit from this intervention. The investigators have shown that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain can be used as a tool to predict relief of pain and to assess the effect of treatment in some chronic pain conditions. This innovative project involves development of an fMRI-guided treatment with intravenous ketamine in patients with NP. This study aims to analyze patterns of changes in fMRI of the brain, before and after infusion of ketamine and to correlate the changes with pain intensity. The information from this study will help to deliver this therapy earlier to those patients who are most likely to benefit from ketamine.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Neuralgia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: RS-fMRI; Drug: Ketamine

Detailed Description

This trial is exploratory, prospective, non-randomized, single cohort, single-center, with no blinding of participants, treating physicians, and investigators. Study participants undergo a resting-state fMRI before, after and at '1-month post-ketamine infusion' (standard care). Patients will be recruited over 2 years, from Pain Clinics at Toronto Western Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital. The primary null hypothesis for this trial is that there are no fMRI brain patterns of patients with neuropathic pain that predict pain relief following ketamine infusion. The secondary null hypothesis for this trial is that there are no correlations between specific fMRI brain patterns of patients with neuropathic pain and change in intensity of pain immediately following ketamine infusion. Further secondary hypothesis include that cortical reorganization in the brain as measured by fMRI at one month after the infusion of ketamine does not correlate with persisting analgesic benefit in patients with neuropathic pain. Finally, we hypothesize that ketamine infusions do not provide significant pain relief, reduction in anxiety and depression, and improvement in quality of life early (at 1 month) and late (at 3 months) after the infusions in patients with neuropathic pain.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 39
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T2S8
      • Toronto Western Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Refractory neuropathic pain diagnosed by a >3 score on DN4 (Douleur Neuropathique 4) questionnaire
• Average daily pain intensity should be moderate or severe, as indicated by a >3 score on NRS (Numerical Rating Scale)
• Duration of neuropathic pain should be more than three months
• Participants should have tried at least three medications for neuropathic pain. Each of these medications should belong to a different pharmacological group: anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin), tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, nortriptyline, imipramine, desipramine), serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (venlafaxine, duloxetine), tramadol, opioids, cannabinoids, methadone, topical lidocaine and capsaicin patches.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Ketamine or lidocaine intravenous infusion within the 6 months preceding enrollment into this trial
• Contraindications to ketamine (allergy, pregnancy, uncontrolled arterial hypertension, uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, severe ischemic heart disease or heart failure, severe liver or kidney disease, space occupying lesion in the brain or the spinal cord, uncontrolled epilepsy and glaucoma)
• Ongoing litigation issues related to the patient's pain that may affect reporting of pain and quality of life
• An unstable medical or psychiatric condition that makes it unsafe to use study medications
• Participants unable to comply with the study protocol (e.g. follow-up visits, filling forms for measuring anxiety, depression, and quality of life)
• Relative (claustrophobia) or absolute contraindications for MRI

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Diagnostic
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: RS-fMRI; All subjects will be instructed to keep their eyes closed but to remain awake during the fMRI measurement. Resting State fMRI (RS-fMRI) will be performed within four weeks of planned infusion of ketamine, immediately after the end of infusion of ketamine on the fifth (last) day of infusion, and on the one month follow-up appointment after the infusion.	Other: RS-fMRI; Resting State-functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Protocols involving BOLD (blood oxygen level-dependent) and non-BOLD techniques will be used.; Drug: Ketamine; Part of standard care. To be performed over five consecutive days (Monday to Friday) for six hours per day. A therapeutic range of 0.5 to 2.0 mg/kg/hour is targeted.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Correlation between 'baseline (pre-infusion) fMRI patterns' and 'pain relief (>50% pain reduction, as per NRS or 'Numerical Rating Scale')'	1 month following ketamine infusion

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Correlation between 'specific fMRI brain patterns at 1-month post-infusion' and 'change in neuropathic pain intensity (as per NRS) at 3-month post-infusion'	3 months following ketamine infusion
Change in pain intensity at 1 month post-infusion, as measured by Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)	1 month following ketamine infusion
Change in pain intensity at 3 months post-infusion, as measured by Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)	3 months following ketamine infusion
Change in anxiety at 1 month post-infusion, as measured by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)	1 month following ketamine infusion
Change in anxiety at 3 months post-infusion, as measured by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)	3 months following ketamine infusion
Change in depression at 1 month post-infusion, as measured by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)	1 month following ketamine infusion
Change in depression at 3 months post-infusion, as measured by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)	3 months following ketamine infusion
Change in quality of life at 1 month post-infusion, as measured by Short Form-36 (SF-36) v2 Health Survey	1 month following ketamine infusion
Change in quality of life at 3 months post-infusion, as measured by Short Form-36 (SF-36) v2 Health Survey	3 month following ketamine infusion

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Health Network, Toronto
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Anuj Bhatia, UHN

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: February 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 9, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 22, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): February 27, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 28, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 26, 2021
• Last Verified: April 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Ketamine; fMRI; refractory neuropathic pain
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Neuromuscular Diseases; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Neuralgia; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Central Nervous System Depressants; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Analgesics; Sensory System Agents; Anesthetics, Dissociative; Anesthetics, Intravenous; Anesthetics, General; Anesthetics; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Excitatory Amino Acid Agents; Ketamine
• Other Study ID Numbers: 14-8706-AE

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No