Brain MRI for Knee OA

Summary

It has been estimated that 300 million people worldwide have osteoarthritis (OA), and this has increased by 97% over the past 25 years. OA is degenerative joint disease that has joint cartilage break down and causes the surrounding bone to change and rub. The pain and loss of mobility experienced by people with knee OA can seriously reduce quality of life, while pain management causes significant healthcare spending. Unfortunately, the pain associated with OA is complex and difficult to treat other than to have a total knee replacement surgery to replace the damaged bone and surrounding tissues with artificial ones. Our research study plans to use advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques and novel analysis methods to determine if specific parts of the brain are responsible for difficult to describe and diagnose aspects of chronic pain. This study will help us better understand the effects of chronic pain in the brain and the results will help guide future research into new therapeutic options that would focus on relieving the brain dysfunction caused by chronic pain.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain
• Central Sensitisation
• Knee Osteoarthritis

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Cold Pressor Gel Test

This test will allow the research team to induce a painful sensation in participants in a safe, non-invasive, standardized, and short-lasting manner. The protocol for the cold pressor gel test is simple: participants will place their non-dominant hand in the container of cold water for as long as they can up to a maximum of two minutes. If it becomes too painful or uncomfortable during those two minutes, participants can remove their hand from the container. It should be noted again that this is not a treatment for knee OA or chronic pain and will be used to investigate the effects of acute pain in the brain of individuals with a chronic pain condition.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• McMaster University

  collaborator OTHER

• Toronto Rehabilitation Institute

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Dinesh Kumbhare, MD, PhD · University Health Network, Toronto

• Michael D Noseworthy, PhD, PEng · McMaster University

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-09-01

Primary Completion

2025-05-01

Completion

2025-08-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations