Brain Connectivity Patterns in Chronic Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Part of paid clinical trials in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Sponsor
University of Minnesota
Study ID
NCT05068908
Status
Recruiting
Apply to this trial

Conditions

  • Chronic Pain
  • Temporomandibular Joint Disorders
  • Temporomandibular Joint Pain

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
FEMALE
Age
18 Years - 65 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Study Details

This study addresses the timely problem of painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD), the most common cause of orofacial pain second only to tooth pain. Findings from previous studies suggest that dysregulation of connectivity within specific brain circuits is part of chronic pain pathophysiology. This study will identify connectivity patterns within those brain circuits as potential signatures for pain- related disability in chronic TMD pain participants. New knowledge regarding these brain connectivity patterns is expected to be significant because it will support improved phenotyping of this heterogeneous participant population. It is also expected that this finding can potentially be extrapolated to other chronic pain conditions, such as back pain, migraine headache, and fibromyalgia that are frequently comorbid conditions in chronic TMD participants.

Key Dates

Start date
Mar 2, 2022
Status verified
Sep 2025
Primary completion
Aug 31, 2026
Completion
Aug 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
95 participants (estimated)

Arms

  • Arm: Low-impact chronic painful temporomandibular disorder (TMD) cases
    Participants whose chronic painful TMD is determined to be low-impact. Visits include a standardized clinical examination using the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD) protocol, psychosocial questionnaires completion, sensory and endogenous pain modulation (EPM) testing and a multi-modal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data acquisition.
  • Arm: High- impact chronic painful temporomandibular disorder (TMD) cases
    Participants whose chronic painful TMD is determined to be high-impact. Visits include a standardized clinical examination using the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD) protocol, psychosocial questionnaires completion, sensory and endogenous pain modulation (EPM) testing and a multi-modal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data acquisition.
  • Arm: Pain-free controls
    Participants without chronic painful TMD. Visits include a standardized clinical examination using the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD (DC/TMD) protocol, psychosocial questionnaires completion, sensory and endogenous pain modulation (EPM) testing and a multi-modal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data acquisition.
  • Arm: Pilot study-MRI optimization group
    A pilot study will be conducted separately from the "main project" for optimization of MRI parameters, where up to five participants will be recruited as a separate group to undergo only MRI sessions (single study visit). The goal is to optimize the parameters of the main project's MR imaging protocol in order to minimize imaging distortions related to the presence of the thermodes in close proximity to the field of view for the brain.

Primary Outcome Measure

Functional connectivity (FC) for the thalamocortical brain circuit [ Time Frame: 2.5 hours ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
University of MinnesotaMinneapolisMinnesota55455-

Find similar trials in Minneapolis, MN

By research site
University of Minnesota· Minneapolis, MN

Related Studies