Exploring Pain Modulation With TMS and Repeated Pain Conditioning in Healthy Individuals

Part of paid clinical trials in El Paso, Texas.

Sponsor
Priyanka Rana, PT, MPT, PhD
Study ID
NCT06726018
Status
Enrolling By Invitation

Conditions

  • Healthy Adult

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - 75 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will receive a testing stimulus of pressure applied per ascending intensity at the web space of the foot until the pain reaches 40 out of 100, then discontinued. After testing the stimulus, participants will then receive a conditioning stimulus by immersing the non-dominant hand into the water-cooled by refrigeration unit with a temperature of 6 degree Celsius (males) or 8 degree Celsius (females) for 60 seconds. Subjects will be asked to rate the cold pain during the four 60-second trials. Participants completely removed their hand from the cold pressor for 30 seconds following each of the four 60-second immersions, during which time the testing stimulus will be re-applied per the sequential paradigm to the web space of the foot. Participants complete four 60-second periods of immersion.

Study Details

Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) is the behavioral measure of diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC), an endogenous pain inhibitory pathway in which pain inhibits pain. CPM is less efficient in individuals with chronic pain conditions, and it is a predictor for the development of chronic pain. Continuous stimulation of central/cortical mechanisms through engaging CPM might alter pain processing and improve pain inhibition. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a valuable tool for assessing how effectively the brain's central and cortical mechanisms engage in pain inhibition, particularly through pathways like CPM. While alterations in cortical excitability related to analgesic-induced pain inhibition have been documented, the effects of continuous stimulation of central pain pathways, along with the mediating influence of psychosocial factors, remain underexplored. This study aims to investigate the central pain modulatory mechanisms, as assessed by CPM, and cortical excitability, as measured by TMS, in healthy participants. Additionally, the study will evaluate the impact of sociocultural factors, including ethnic identity, optimism, resilience, perceived stress, and marginalization, on the magnitude and efficiency of CPM responses. The successful completion of this research will determine how cortical excitability changes due to training and whether these changes are mediated by psychosocial factors.

Key Dates

Start date
May 1, 2026
Status verified
Jun 2026
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2026
Completion
Dec 31, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment
75 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: High Exposure (HE)
    Participants will receive five sessions total: four sessions of the Intervention, CPM and TMS as an outcome in every session and questionnaires and QST as an outcome in the first and fifth sessions.
  • Active Comparator: Low Exposure (LE)
    Participants will receive only two sessions in total: one session of the intervention, questionnaires, quantitative sensory testing, CPM and TMS as an outcome at both sessions.
  • No Intervention: No Exposure (NE)
    Participants will receive only two sessions in total: questionnaires, quantitative sensory testing, and TMS as an outcome at both sessions.

Primary Outcome Measure

Conditioned Pain Modulation as an assessment [ Time Frame: Two-weeks ]

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Department of Physical Therapy and Movement Science, University of Texas at El PasoEl PasoTexas79902-

Find similar trials in El Paso, TX

By research site
Department of Physical Therapy and Movement Science, University of Texas at El Paso· El Paso, TX

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