Direct Current Stimulation for Treatment of Fibromyalgia

March 9, 2016 updated by: Dina Hatem Elhammady

Direct Current Stimulation Versus Sham for Treatment of Fibromyalgia: a Double Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in treating fibromyalgia.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups: Group I (Intervention group) tDCS (2mA for 25 minutes on 5 consecutive days/week for 2 weeks with the anode centered over M1 bilaterally Anodal tDCS for 20 minutes at 1.5 mA (15 s ramp in and 15 s ramp out) will be applied daily for 10 consecutive days (5 sessions/week) . The anodal electrode (24 cm² with current density of 0.08 mA (2mA/24 cm²) will be placed over the left primary motor area in group I, and the reference electrode (24 cm² will be fixed over the contralateral arm (extracephalic).

Daily tDCS was given to prolong and stabilize these long-lasting after-effects. Group II will receive sham tDCS will be applied using the above described parameters in group I. For sham tDCS, the placement of the electrodes, current intensity, and ramp time was identical to real tDCS stimulation group; however, the stimulation lasted only for 30 Sec. However, since none of the patients have been experienced tDCS previously, they were unaware of which stimulation is real and which sham is. The investigator responsible for delivering tDCS had no contact with the patients. All study participants will be followed up by the same evaluation sheet and by an evaluator who are blinded to the type of intervention she /he has received.Evaluation will be done pre assessment, post 5 sessions, post 10 sessions, post one month and post 2 months by using wide spread pain index (WPI) & symptoms severity of fibromyalgia, measuring visual analogue scale (VAS), Depression and anxiety will be assessed using Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS) and anxiety scale, pain sensitivity threshold by using Electronic Von Frey unit EVF4 . Determination of human beta-endorphin level before start sessions and after end 10 sessions.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in relieving pain of patients with fibromyalgia. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups: Group I (Intervention group) tDCS (2mA for 25 minutes on 5 consecutive days/week for 2 weeks with the anode centered over M1 bilaterally Anodal tDCS for 20 minutes at 1.5 mA (15 s ramp in and 15 s ramp out) will be applied daily for 10 consecutive days (5 sessions/week) . The anodal electrode (24 cm² with current density of 0.08 mA (2mA/24 cm²) will be placed over the left primary motor area in group I, and the reference electrode (24 cm² will be fixed over the contralateral arm (extracephalic).

Because brief exposure to tDCS has no after-effects whereas researchers used 20min duration in order to produce robust after-effects. Daily tDCS was given to prolong and stabilize these long-lasting after-effects. Group II will receive sham tDCS will be applied using the above described parameters in group I. For sham tDCS, the placement of the electrodes, current intensity, and ramp time was identical to real tDCS stimulation group; however, the stimulation lasted only for 30 Sec. However, since none of the patients have been experienced tDCS previously, they were unaware of which stimulation is real and which sham is. The investigator responsible for delivering tDCS had no contact with the patients. All study participants will be followed up by the same evaluation sheet and by an evaluator who are blinded to the type of intervention she /he has received.Evaluation will be done pre assessment, post 5 sessions, post 10 sessions, post one month and post 2 months by using wide spread pain index (WPI) & symptoms severity of fibromyalgia, measuring visual analogue scale (VAS), Depression and anxiety will be assessed using Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS) and anxiety scale, pain sensitivity threshold by using Electronic Von Frey unit EVF4 . Determination of human beta-endorphin level before start sessions and after end 10 sessions.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

36

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Egypt
      • Assiut, Egypt, 71111
        • Recruiting
        • Assiut University Hospital
        • Contact:
          • Dina Elhammady, MD
          • Phone Number: 1223971467
        • Contact:

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

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients diagnosed as fibromyalgia according to the American college of rheumatology classification, (ACR) 2010 and referred to any of the above clinics for treatment.

    • Patients must have a mean pain score ≥ 4 on a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) during the 2 weeks preceding the clinical trial.
    • Patients from nearby districts to ensure good availability for follow-up.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients refused to participate in the trial.
  • Patients with any uncontrolled clinical disease (as evaluated by each patient's clinician), such as any associated rheumatologic, thyroid, cardiovascular, pulmonary, hematologic, or renal diseases, pregnancy, lactation, and neuropsychiatric disorders.

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
Active Comparator: Group I
Real tDCS (2mA for 25 minutes on 5 consecutive days/week for 2 weeks with the anode centered over M1 bilaterally. Anodal tDCS for 20 minutes at 1.5mA (15 s ramp in and 15 s ramp out) will be applied daily for 10 consecutive days (5 sessions/week).
Device: Real tDCS
Real tDCS (2mA for 25 minutes on 5 consecutive days/week for 2 weeks with the anode centered over M1 bilaterally. Anodal tDCS for 20 minutes at 1.5mA (15 s ramp in and 15 s ramp out) will be applied daily for 10 consecutive days (5 sessions/week). The anodal electrode 24 cm² with current density of 0.08 mA (2mA/24 cm²) will be placed over the left primary motor area in group I, and the reference electrode (24 cm² will be fixed over the contralateral arm (extracephalic).
Other Names:
  • Real trans-cranial direct current stimulation
Sham Comparator: Group II
Sham tDCS will be applied using the above described parameters in group. For sham tDCS, the placement of the electrodes, current intensity, and ramp time was identical to real tDCS stimulation group; however, the stimulation lasted only for 30 Sec.
Device: Sham tDCS
Sham tDCS will be applied using the above described parameters in group. For sham tDCS, the placement of the electrodes, current intensity, and ramp time was identical to real tDCS stimulation group; however, the stimulation lasted only for 30 Sec. However, since none of the patients have been experienced tDCS previously, they were unaware of which stimulation is real and which sham is. The investigator responsible for delivering tDCS had no contact with the patients.
Other Names:
  • Sham trans-cranial direct current stimulation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in pain Scores as measured by the Visual Analog Scale
Time Frame: 2 months
2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Dina Hatem Elhammady

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Eman Khedr, MD, Professor of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University

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.

General Publications

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

October 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

June 1, 2016

Study Completion (Anticipated)

June 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 4, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 9, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

March 10, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 10, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 9, 2016

Last Verified

October 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DCS in fibromyalgia

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

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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