The Effects of Water Temperature on the Cold Pressor Test

NCT ID: NCT03083626

Last Updated: 2017-04-20

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

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

20 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-05-01

Study Completion Date

2017-03-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

This current study is intended to be completed under the umbrella of the current GHUCCTS IRB- approved study "Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia In Prescription Opioid Abusers: Effects of Pregabalin" (Lyrica study) (PRO00000669). In this proposed study, 10 healthy male, 10 healthy female participants and 5 male, 5 female OIH participants (from the parent Lyrica study), who are prescription opioid abusers with chronic pain currently taking Suboxone, will be asked to take the cold pressor test at 1, 5, and 9 degrees Celsius and to report the time at which pain has completely gone away following each test. The purpose of this study is to examine how the water temperature of the cold pressure test might affect the participants' response (i.e., the participants pain threshold and pain tolerance) and to see if there is a difference in how each participation group is affected.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Since the 1940s, the cold pressor test (CPT) has been used experimentally as a pain induction method due to its reliability, cost effectiveness and minimal production of side effects. In the CPT, a patient is asked to place his or her hand and forearm in an ice bath until the pain is too great to remain in the water. Researchers have employed the CPT to test a wide range of pain management techniques, including medications, cognitive- based therapies, or acupuncture, as well as to explore pain perception. The CPT has been performed on a variety of participants, including adolescents, drug abusers, and those suffering from chronic back pain.

In their classic 1989 paper, Walsh and colleagues developed the normative model of the CPT demonstrating that variations in response are dependent upon age, sex and ethnicity. In 2004, however, Mitchell et al. discovered that the water temperature of the CPT also plays a crucial role in the pain tolerance time of the subjects, noting that a temperature variation of 4°C produced significantly different results for the same subject. While the Mitchell investigations improved upon the standard for the proper CPT technique, as seen implemented in the works of Rash and Campbell, their discoveries were based on healthy individuals.

Researchers have explored the CPT responses of patients with an altered pain perception, such as patients with Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia (OIH), in comparison to healthy controls, demonstrating greater sensitivity in OIH patients. What has not been studied is the effect of temperature on CPT response in OIH patients. Further, the CPT has been shown to have a relatively lengthy recovery time averaging around 10 minutes; however, the recovery time for hypersensitive patients, such as OIH patients, has yet to be studied.

As an extension of the work of Mitchell and colleagues, the proposed research will assess the effects of temperature difference and recovery time of the CPT on patients with OIH in comparison to healthy normal control patients. This work is a sub-study of a larger study, Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia In Prescription Opioid Abusers: Effects of Pregabalin (PRO00000669), conducted by principal investigator Dr. Peggy Compton. The goal of the parent study is to evaluate the ability of pregabalin to diminish chronic low back or arthritic pain and OIH in a sample of prescription opioid abusers (POAs) opioid therapy. This current study is not assigning specific interventions to study subjects. Healthy control and OIH participants will complete all study measures in a single two-hour study session.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Chronic Pain

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Observational Model Type

CASE_CONTROL

Study Time Perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Prescription opioid abusers

Patients 21-65 years old taking suboxone or methadone, currently experiencing chronic pain, not taking any opioid analgesic medication for painful condition on a regular basis, not have any current psychiatric or neurological illnesses, not have a history of heart disease in order to be healthy enough to complete the cold pressor test.

Cold pressor test

Intervention Type OTHER

The cold pressor test is a procedure used for examining pain threshold and tolerance by subjects placing their forearm in an ice bath. Each participant will take the CPT at 1 °C, 5°C, and 9°C. The first CPT will always be at 1 °C, to ensure participants tolerate the ice bath at the standard temperature. The order of the subsequent CPT at 5°C and 9°C, will be randomized to control for differential carry over effects. Participants will be instructed to say "Pain" when pain is initially detected (threshold). Then they will be asked to keep the immersed limb in the container until the pain can no longer be tolerated and say "Stop" and remove the arm from the water when tolerance is reached.

Healthy control participants

Patients 21-65 years old not taking suboxone or methadone, not experiencing chronic pain, not taking any opioid analgesic medication for painful condition on a regular basis, not have any current psychiatric or neurological illnesses, not have a history of heart disease in order to be healthy enough to complete the cold pressor test.

Cold pressor test

Intervention Type OTHER

The cold pressor test is a procedure used for examining pain threshold and tolerance by subjects placing their forearm in an ice bath. Each participant will take the CPT at 1 °C, 5°C, and 9°C. The first CPT will always be at 1 °C, to ensure participants tolerate the ice bath at the standard temperature. The order of the subsequent CPT at 5°C and 9°C, will be randomized to control for differential carry over effects. Participants will be instructed to say "Pain" when pain is initially detected (threshold). Then they will be asked to keep the immersed limb in the container until the pain can no longer be tolerated and say "Stop" and remove the arm from the water when tolerance is reached.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Cold pressor test

The cold pressor test is a procedure used for examining pain threshold and tolerance by subjects placing their forearm in an ice bath. Each participant will take the CPT at 1 °C, 5°C, and 9°C. The first CPT will always be at 1 °C, to ensure participants tolerate the ice bath at the standard temperature. The order of the subsequent CPT at 5°C and 9°C, will be randomized to control for differential carry over effects. Participants will be instructed to say "Pain" when pain is initially detected (threshold). Then they will be asked to keep the immersed limb in the container until the pain can no longer be tolerated and say "Stop" and remove the arm from the water when tolerance is reached.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Between 21 and 65 years old
* On suboxone or methadone for at least ten days
* Currently experiencing chronic low back or arthritis pain

Exclusion Criteria

* Be on any opioid analgesic
* Have a neurological or psychiatric illness (i.e., schizophrenia, Raynaud's disease, urticaria, stroke) that would affect pain responses
* Have an abnormal screening EKG, history of heart disease, stroke, liver or kidney disease or acute hepatitis, or currently have a pacemaker or uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Minimum Eligible Age

21 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Georgetown University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Georgetown University Medical Center

Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Ahles, T. A., Blanchard, E. B., &Leventhal, H. (1983). Cognitive control of pain: Attention to the sensory aspects of the cold pressor stimulus. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 7(2), 159-177.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Bellar D, Kamimori GH, Glickman EL. The effects of low-dose caffeine on perceived pain during a grip to exhaustion task. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 May;25(5):1225-8. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181d9901f.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21522070 (View on PubMed)

Brands AEF, Schmidt AJM. Learning processes in the persistence behavior of chronic low back pain patients with repeated acute pain stimulation. Pain. 1987 Sep;30(3):329-337. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(87)90021-2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 2959899 (View on PubMed)

Chang YP, Compton P. Management of chronic pain with chronic opioid therapy in patients with substance use disorders. Addict Sci Clin Pract. 2013 Dec 16;8(1):21. doi: 10.1186/1940-0640-8-21.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24341916 (View on PubMed)

Chu LF, Clark DJ, Angst MS. Opioid tolerance and hyperalgesia in chronic pain patients after one month of oral morphine therapy: a preliminary prospective study. J Pain. 2006 Jan;7(1):43-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2005.08.001.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16414554 (View on PubMed)

Compton MA. Cold-pressor pain tolerance in opiate and cocaine abusers: correlates of drug type and use status. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1994 Oct;9(7):462-73. doi: 10.1016/0885-3924(94)90203-8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7822886 (View on PubMed)

Compton P. Pain tolerance in opioid addicts on and off naltrexone pharmacotherapy: a pilot study. J Pain Symptom Manage. 1998 Jul;16(1):21-8. doi: 10.1016/s0885-3924(98)00035-9.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9707654 (View on PubMed)

Edens, J. L., & Gil, K. M. (1995). Experimental induction of pain: Utility in the study of clinical pain. Behavior Therapy, 26(2), 197-216.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Hellstrom B, Lundberg U. Pain perception to the cold pressor test during the menstrual cycle in relation to estrogen levels and a comparison with men. Integr Physiol Behav Sci. 2000 Apr-Jun;35(2):132-41. doi: 10.1007/BF02688772.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11021338 (View on PubMed)

Lee M, Silverman SM, Hansen H, Patel VB, Manchikanti L. A comprehensive review of opioid-induced hyperalgesia. Pain Physician. 2011 Mar-Apr;14(2):145-61.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21412369 (View on PubMed)

Mitchell LA, MacDonald RA, Brodie EE. Temperature and the cold pressor test. J Pain. 2004 May;5(4):233-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2004.03.004.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15162346 (View on PubMed)

Pomerleau OF, Turk DC, Fertig JB. The effects of cigarette smoking on pain and anxiety. Addict Behav. 1984;9(3):265-71. doi: 10.1016/0306-4603(84)90018-2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 6496202 (View on PubMed)

Radtke T, Eser P, Kriemler S, Saner H, Wilhelm M. Adolescent blood pressure hyperreactors have a higher reactive hyperemic index at the fingertip. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2013 Dec;113(12):2991-3000. doi: 10.1007/s00421-013-2735-3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24077645 (View on PubMed)

Walsh NE, Schoenfeld L, Ramamurthy S, Hoffman J. Normative model for cold pressor test. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 1989 Feb;68(1):6-11. doi: 10.1097/00002060-198902000-00003.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 2917058 (View on PubMed)

Wolf S, Hardy JD. STUDIES ON PAIN. OBSERVATIONS ON PAIN DUE TO LOCAL COOLING AND ON FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE "COLD PRESSOR" EFFECT. J Clin Invest. 1941 Sep;20(5):521-33. doi: 10.1172/JCI101245. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16694857 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

2014-1378

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.