Neuromodulation of Lidocaine and Capsaicin Cream Effects on Pain Experience

NCT ID: NCT03102710

Last Updated: 2020-07-07

Study Results

Results available

Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.

View full results

Basic Information

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

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

103 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2016-05-31

Study Completion Date

2019-03-31

Brief Summary

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

The aim of this study is to use a brain stimulation tool called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to investigate the analgesic (reducing sensitivity to pain) effects of lidocaine cream and the hyperalgesic (increasing sensitivity to pain) effects of capsaicin cream using a neutral cream as a control. tDCS stimulation has been shown to temporarily influence the way the stimulated part of the brain functions. With this method, the involvement of specific parts of the brain can be investigated in the working of the brain as a whole.

Detailed Description

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

Conditions

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

Pain

Study Design

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

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators

Study Groups

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

tDCS Enhancement

In this group, the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) stimulates the areas of the brain being examined in this study to increase their activity.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Intervention Type DEVICE

tCDS safely applies a weak electrical current to your scalp using two sponge electrodes that look like flat circular pads. The pads will be held in place on your head with a neoprene cap. The pads will be attached to a generator that will send a weak stimulus to your scalp. This current influences the way that your brain cells work. When the stimulus starts, you might feel a tingling sensation underneath the electrode pads. That sensation is not painful and goes away in seconds.

Lidocaine cream

Intervention Type OTHER

Lidocaine cream will be applied on the arm to reduce pain sensitivity (analgesia).

Capsaicin cream

Intervention Type OTHER

Capsaicin cream will be applied on the arm to increase pain sensitivity (hyperalgesia).

Control cream

Intervention Type OTHER

A neutral cream will be applied on the arm as a control.

tDCS Inhibition

In this group, the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) inhibits the areas of the brain being examined in this study to decrease their activity.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Intervention Type DEVICE

tCDS safely applies a weak electrical current to your scalp using two sponge electrodes that look like flat circular pads. The pads will be held in place on your head with a neoprene cap. The pads will be attached to a generator that will send a weak stimulus to your scalp. This current influences the way that your brain cells work. When the stimulus starts, you might feel a tingling sensation underneath the electrode pads. That sensation is not painful and goes away in seconds.

Lidocaine cream

Intervention Type OTHER

Lidocaine cream will be applied on the arm to reduce pain sensitivity (analgesia).

Capsaicin cream

Intervention Type OTHER

Capsaicin cream will be applied on the arm to increase pain sensitivity (hyperalgesia).

Control cream

Intervention Type OTHER

A neutral cream will be applied on the arm as a control.

Sham tDCS

Sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) does not provide real stimulation though you will not know this until your debriefing at the end of the study. Sham will be used to determine if the results of this study are due to the tDCS or other reasons.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Intervention Type DEVICE

tCDS safely applies a weak electrical current to your scalp using two sponge electrodes that look like flat circular pads. The pads will be held in place on your head with a neoprene cap. The pads will be attached to a generator that will send a weak stimulus to your scalp. This current influences the way that your brain cells work. When the stimulus starts, you might feel a tingling sensation underneath the electrode pads. That sensation is not painful and goes away in seconds.

Lidocaine cream

Intervention Type OTHER

Lidocaine cream will be applied on the arm to reduce pain sensitivity (analgesia).

Capsaicin cream

Intervention Type OTHER

Capsaicin cream will be applied on the arm to increase pain sensitivity (hyperalgesia).

Control cream

Intervention Type OTHER

A neutral cream will be applied on the arm as a control.

Interventions

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

transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

tCDS safely applies a weak electrical current to your scalp using two sponge electrodes that look like flat circular pads. The pads will be held in place on your head with a neoprene cap. The pads will be attached to a generator that will send a weak stimulus to your scalp. This current influences the way that your brain cells work. When the stimulus starts, you might feel a tingling sensation underneath the electrode pads. That sensation is not painful and goes away in seconds.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Lidocaine cream

Lidocaine cream will be applied on the arm to reduce pain sensitivity (analgesia).

Intervention Type OTHER

Capsaicin cream

Capsaicin cream will be applied on the arm to increase pain sensitivity (hyperalgesia).

Intervention Type OTHER

Control cream

A neutral cream will be applied on the arm as a control.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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

Inclusion Criteria

* Right handed healthy male and female adults aged 21-50
* No contraindications to fMRI scanning
* At least a 10th grade English-reading level; English can be a second language provided that the patients feel they understand all the questions used in the assessment measures.

Exclusion Criteria

* Current or past history of major medical, neurological, or psychiatric illness
* Claustrophobia
* History of head trauma
* Instability of responses to experimental pain
* Non-fluent speaker of English
* Presence of any contraindications to fMRI scanning. For example: cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, fear of closed spaces, pregnancy
* History of alcohol/substance abuse
Minimum Eligible Age

21 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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

Massachusetts General Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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

Jian Kong

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Jian Kong

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

MGH

Locations

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

Massachusetts General Hospital

Charlestown, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status

Countries

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

United States

Provided Documents

Download supplemental materials such as informed consent forms, study protocols, or participant manuals.

Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

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

2015P000685

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

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

Cannabinoid Modulation of Pain
NCT01595620 COMPLETED EARLY_PHASE1
Selective Nerve Stimulation (SNS) Pilot Study
NCT01259271 COMPLETED EARLY_PHASE1