The Effect of the Nature And Frequency of a Stimulation on the Amplitude of the Temporal Summation of Pain

Temporal summation is a mechanism that enhances pain perception. It is a natural mechanism present in most individuals. Generally, temporal summation is measured by the application of a moderately painful stimulation for several seconds.However, there is still no official recommendation in the literature. There is therefore a great disparity in the protocols. Some studies apply thermal stimulation (heating the skin) while others apply mechanical stimulation (applying pressure). Another point of contention is that some studies apply continuous stimulation for 2 minutes while others apply a series of several small stimulation of 1 second). Between these studies, the amplitude of temporal summation varies according to the stimulation performed. Note also that the study population is also very different between studies. In these conditions, it remains difficult to know the impact of the nature of the stimulation on the measured amplitude of the temporal summation.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Temporal Summation

Detailed Description

Objective: To determine the effect of the nature and frequency of the stimulation used to measure one of the physiological mechanisms of pain

Methods: In order to meet the objective, 34 pain-free participants will be recruited (17 females and 17 males) between the ages of 18 and 30 years. A single visit will be proposed (approximately 1 h). Each participant will be stimulated with 4 stimulation conditions:

• continuous thermal (1 stimulation of two minutes)
• repetitive thermal (30 stimulations of 1 second)
• continuous mechanical (1 stimulation of two minutes)
• repetitive mechanical (30 stimulation of 1 second) In order to control certain psychological parameters, questionnaires measuring anxiety, depression and fear of pain will be administered. This will allow the investigation team to perform subgroup analyses if necessary. A repeated measures analysis of variance will be performed to meet the objective.

Anticipated Results: The objective of this project is to determine the impact of different stimuli on the measurement of a pain mechanism. In this sense, the results will be important since they will allow to develop recommendations to optimize the measurement of this mechanism.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 34

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Matthieu Vincenot, MS.c; Phone Number: 45682 819-780-2220; Email: Matthieu.Vincenot@USherbrooke.ca
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Guillaume Léonard, Ph.D; Phone Number: 72933 819-821-8000; Email: Guillaume.Leonard2@USherbrook.ca

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Quebec
    • Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, JH1 5N4
      • Recruiting
      • Université de Sherbrooke
      • Contact: Matthieu Vincenot, MS.c; Phone Number: 45682 819-780-2220; Email: Matthieu.Vincenot@USherbrooke.ca

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 30 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

For this project, healthy males and females (1:1 ratio) between the ages of 18 and 30 will represent our target population

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Subjects aged 18 to 30 years, able to consent (understand English or French)
• No chronic pain
• No primary sensory disorders

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of upper extremity injuries
• Absence of anxiety symptoms (HADs Score < 6) (Appendix 1)
• Presence of cardiovascular disease / neurocognitive disorders / mental illness
• Pregnant or postpartum women less than one year old

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Healthy volunteers - Pain-Free; Each participant will be stimulated with 4 temporal summation stimulation conditions: continuous thermal (1 stimulation of two minutes); repetitive thermal (30 stimulations of 1 second); continuous mechanical (1 stimulation of two minutes); repetitive mechanical (30 stimulation of 1 second)	Other: Temporal Summation; 4 type of stimulations applied on the right arm

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Temporal Summation of Pain - repetitive thermal stimulation	Temporal Summation of pain referred to the change of pain perception during a painful stimulation. Temporal summation will be calculated by the difference in pain perception (on a 0-100 scale) and the beginning and at the end of each stimulation sequence. Temporal summation will be express as a percentage of increased.	During stimulation
Temporal Summation of Pain - continuous thermal stimulation	Temporal Summation of pain referred to the change of pain perception during a painful stimulation. Temporal summation will be calculated by the difference in pain perception (on a 0-100 scale) and the beginning and at the end of each stimulation sequence. Temporal summation will be express as a percentage of increased.	During stimulation
Temporal Summation of Pain - continuous mechanical stimulation	Temporal Summation of pain referred to the change of pain perception during a painful stimulation. Temporal summation will be calculated by the difference in pain perception (on a 0-100 scale) and the beginning and at the end of each stimulation sequence. Temporal summation will be express as a percentage of increased.	During stimulation
Temporal Summation of Pain - repetitive mechanical stimulation	Temporal Summation of pain referred to the change of pain perception during a painful stimulation. Temporal summation will be calculated by the difference in pain perception (on a 0-100 scale) and the beginning and at the end of each stimulation sequence. Temporal summation will be express as a percentage of increased.	During stimulation

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Université de Sherbrooke
• Collaborators: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Guillaume Léonard, Ph.D, Université de Sherbrooke

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 12, 2021
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): August 30, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): August 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 21, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 6, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): August 16, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 19, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 17, 2022
• Last Verified: May 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mechanical Stimulation; Temporal Summation; Heat Pain Stimulation; Thermode
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2022-4323

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No