Long-term Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Patients With Phantom Limb Pain (PLP)

NCT ID: NCT02051959

Last Updated: 2016-01-27

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

SUSPENDED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

24 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-05-31

Study Completion Date

2017-12-31

Brief Summary

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* Phantom limb pain (PLP) refers to pain in a limb that has been amputated or deafferented. Phantom limb pain might be related to brain cortical plastic changes.
* The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of a series of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) sessions, a non-invasive and focal brain stimulation method, in producing long-term reduction of phantom limb pain among amputees who experience such pain.

This is a Crossover sham control.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Phantom Limb Pain

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Crossover 1a: anodal stimulation of M1 + sham

6 amputees will undergo 8 active treatments of 20 min 2mA anodal stimulation of M1 localized to the contralateral amputation area followed by 8 sham treatments.

Total duration and frequency of treatments: 8 weeks, 2 sessions per week.

Each session will last approximately one hour which will consist of:

* EEG and pain measurements
* 20 minutes of stimulation
* EEG and pain measurements after completion of stimulation

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Anodal stimulation of M1 + sham

Intervention Type DEVICE

8 active treatmments: 2mA anodal stimulation of M1 for 20 minutes (over the relevant cortex area) followed by 8 sham treatments.

Crossover 1b: sham + anodal stimulation of M1

6 amputees will undergo 8 sham treatments followed by 8 active treatments of 20 min 2mA anodal stimulation of M1 localized to the contralateral amputation area.

Total duration and frequency of treatments: 8 weeks, 2 sessions per week.

Each session will last approximately one hour which will consist of:

* EEG and pain measurements
* 20 minutes of stimulation
* EEG and pain measurements after completion of stimulation

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Sham + Anodal stimulation of M1

Intervention Type DEVICE

8 sham treatments followed by 8 active treatmments: 2mA anodal stimulation of M1 for 20 minutes (over the relevant cortex area).

Crossover 2a: cathodal stimulation of M1 + sham

6 amputees will undergo 8 active treatments of 20 min 2mA cathodal stimulation of M1 localized to the contralateral amputation area followed by 8 sham treatments.

Total duration and frequency of treatments: 8 weeks, 2 sessions per week.

Each session will last approximately one hour which will consist of:

* EEG and pain measurements
* 20 minutes of stimulation
* EEG and pain measurements after completion of stimulation

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Cathodal stimulation of M1 + sham

Intervention Type DEVICE

8 active treatmments: 2mA cathodal stimulation of M1 for 20 minutes (over the relevant cortex area) , followed by 8 sham treatments.

Crossover 2b: sham + cathodal stimulation of M1

6 amputees will undergo 8 sham treatments followed by 8 active treatments of 20 min 2mA cathodal stimulation of M1 localized to the contralateral amputation area.

Total duration and frequency of treatments: 8 weeks, 2 sessions per week.

Each session will last approximately one hour which will consist of:

* EEG and pain measurements
* 20 minutes of stimulation
* EEG and pain measurements after completion of stimulation

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Sham + Cathodal stimulation of M1

Intervention Type DEVICE

8 sham treatments followed by 8 active treatmments: 2mA cathodal stimulation of M1 for 20 minutes (over the relevant cortex area).

Interventions

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Anodal stimulation of M1 + sham

8 active treatmments: 2mA anodal stimulation of M1 for 20 minutes (over the relevant cortex area) followed by 8 sham treatments.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham + Anodal stimulation of M1

8 sham treatments followed by 8 active treatmments: 2mA anodal stimulation of M1 for 20 minutes (over the relevant cortex area).

Intervention Type DEVICE

Cathodal stimulation of M1 + sham

8 active treatmments: 2mA cathodal stimulation of M1 for 20 minutes (over the relevant cortex area) , followed by 8 sham treatments.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham + Cathodal stimulation of M1

8 sham treatments followed by 8 active treatmments: 2mA cathodal stimulation of M1 for 20 minutes (over the relevant cortex area).

Intervention Type DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

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tDCS tDCS tDCS tDCS

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age 18 to 80
* Limb amputation from at least 6 months before study enrollment
* Presence of PLP at least 2 times a week and present 4 weeks prior to onset of study
* Written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

* Coexistence of major neurological or psychiatric diseases
* Being actively enrolled in a separate study targeting pain relief
* Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosed patients
* Any contraindication to noninvasive brain stimulation such as past brain surgery, brain implants, cochlear implant, epilepsy or any past seizure
* Pregnant women
* Within the traumatic amputees group - subjects diagnosed with diabetes
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

80 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Sheba Medical Center

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Dr. Itzhak Siev-Ner

Head of The Department of Orthopedic Rehabilitation

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Itzhak Siev-Ner, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Sheba Medical Center

Locations

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Department of Orthopedic Rehabilitation, Sheba Medical Center

Ramat Gan, , Israel

Site Status

Countries

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Israel

References

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Other Identifiers

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SHEBA-13-0733-IS-CTIL

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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