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Is Nociceptive Processing Evoked by Heat Homeostatically Regulated: A Contact-heat Evoked Potentials Study

NCT06197529 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 18

Last updated 2024-05-16

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Homeostatic plasticity is a mechanism that stabilizes neuronal activity to prevent excessive nervous system excitability. This mechanism can be investigated in humans by applying two blocks of non-invasive brain stimulation, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

In healthy subjects, homeostatic plasticity induction over the primary motor cortex increases the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials after the first block of excitatory tDCS, which then decreases after the second block of excitatory tDCS. However, this mechanism is impaired in chronic and experimental pain, demonstrated by an increase in excitability instead of a reversal.

The role of homeostatic plasticity mechanisms in pain is yet to be unraveled, but homeostatic plasticity may hold an important role in pain development or persistence.

Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate if the cortical nociceptive response reflected by contact heat stimulation (CHEPs) is regulated by homeostatic mechanisms. For this, homeostatic plasticity will be induced in both the primary motor (M1) and sensory cortices (S1). The first research question will explore if the contact heat evoked potentials are homeostatically regulated and if this regulation is occurring locally or globally in the cortex. Additionally, it will be investigated if and how capsaicin-induced nociception interacts and effects the homeostatic response as reflected by CHEPs.

Conditions

  • Healthy

Interventions

OTHER

Homeostatic Plasticity

Anodal tDCS S1/M1

DRUG

Topical alone (Capsaicin 8% Patch)

4x4 patch

OTHER

Placebo Patch

4x4 patch

OTHER

Homeostatic Plasticity (Sham)

sham Homeostatic Plasticity protocol over S1

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Aalborg University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Thomas Graven-Nielsen, PhD, DMSc · Aalborg University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
60 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-11-21
Primary Completion
2024-03-04
Completion
2024-03-04

Countries

  • Denmark

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06197529 on ClinicalTrials.gov