Trial Outcomes & Findings for Self-Administered Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Pain in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis (NCT NCT04016272)

NCT ID: NCT04016272

Last Updated: 2023-05-10

Results Overview

The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) total score ranges from 0 (no pain) to 100 (most intense pain imaginable).

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

NA

Target enrollment

123 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

baseline, week 3

Results posted on

2023-05-10

Participant Flow

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Active tDCS
tDCS with a constant current intensity of 2 mA was applied for 20 minutes five times a week (Monday to Friday) for 3 weeks via the Soterix 1 × 1 tDCS mini-CT Stimulator device (Soterix Medical Inc., New York, NY, USA; 6.5 inches long, 3 inches wide, 0.7 inches thick) with headgear and 5 × 7 cm sponge electrodes.
Sham tDCS
tDCS with a constant current intensity of 2 mA was applied for 30 seconds out of 20 minutes five times a week (Monday to Friday) for 3 weeks via the Soterix 1 × 1 tDCS mini-CT Stimulator device (Soterix Medical Inc., New York, NY, USA; 6.5 inches long, 3 inches wide, 0.7 inches thick) with headgear and 5 × 7 cm sponge electrodes.
Overall Study
STARTED
61
62
Overall Study
COMPLETED
60
60
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
1
2

Reasons for withdrawal

Reasons for withdrawal
Measure
Active tDCS
tDCS with a constant current intensity of 2 mA was applied for 20 minutes five times a week (Monday to Friday) for 3 weeks via the Soterix 1 × 1 tDCS mini-CT Stimulator device (Soterix Medical Inc., New York, NY, USA; 6.5 inches long, 3 inches wide, 0.7 inches thick) with headgear and 5 × 7 cm sponge electrodes.
Sham tDCS
tDCS with a constant current intensity of 2 mA was applied for 30 seconds out of 20 minutes five times a week (Monday to Friday) for 3 weeks via the Soterix 1 × 1 tDCS mini-CT Stimulator device (Soterix Medical Inc., New York, NY, USA; 6.5 inches long, 3 inches wide, 0.7 inches thick) with headgear and 5 × 7 cm sponge electrodes.
Overall Study
Withdrawal by Subject
1
2

Baseline Characteristics

Self-Administered Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Pain in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Active tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 20 minutes.
Sham tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 30 seconds.
Total
n=120 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Continuous
65.32 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.41 • n=5 Participants
66.60 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.43 • n=7 Participants
65.96 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.407 • n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
40 Participants
n=5 Participants
42 Participants
n=7 Participants
82 Participants
n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
20 Participants
n=5 Participants
18 Participants
n=7 Participants
38 Participants
n=5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
7 Participants
n=5 Participants
4 Participants
n=7 Participants
11 Participants
n=5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
53 Participants
n=5 Participants
56 Participants
n=7 Participants
109 Participants
n=5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
2 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
2 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
6 Participants
n=5 Participants
2 Participants
n=7 Participants
8 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
19 Participants
n=5 Participants
22 Participants
n=7 Participants
41 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
33 Participants
n=5 Participants
36 Participants
n=7 Participants
69 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: baseline, week 3

Population: Comparison of pain intensity changes between two groups at 3 weeks from baseline.

The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) total score ranges from 0 (no pain) to 100 (most intense pain imaginable).

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 20 minutes.
Sham tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 30 seconds.
Change in Clinical Pain as Assessed by the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for Pain
-24.07 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 21.55
-1.08 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 16.46

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline, week1, week2, and week 3

Population: All Subjects completed fNIRS.

Pain-related cortical response will be measured using a continuous-wave, multichannel fNIRS imaging system (LIGHTNIRS, Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan) with three semiconductor lasers at 780, 805, and 830 nm. Optical recordings will be collected during thermal and punctate pain stimulation and correlation values will be presented in the form of figures. * Specify the full scale: Pearson correlation coefficient (r) between pairs of brain regions (fNIRS channels). * A value of r=0 indicates that two brain regions were functionally disconnected. * Greater absolute r values denote stronger connections. However, this does not indicate a better or worse result but only a different type of connectivity on a macroscale (when considering several fNIRS channels). * We used \|r\|\>0.3 (absolute value of r greater than 0.3) to extract meaningful functional connections.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active tDCS
n=61 Participants
2mA current is applied for 20 minutes.
Sham tDCS
n=62 Participants
2mA current is applied for 30 seconds.
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity between PFC and M1_S1 cortices at week 2
-0.14 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.13
-0.15 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.20
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity within Primary motor-somatosensory cortices at baseline
0.18 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.21
0.12 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.17
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity within Prefrontal cortex at baseline
0.10 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.12
0.09 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.11
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity between PFC and M1_S1 cortices at baseline
-0.12 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.17
-0.12 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.16
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity within Primary motor-somatosensory cortices at week 1
0.17 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.20
0.14 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.18
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity within Prefrontal cortex at week 1
0.09 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.13
0.16 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.15
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity between PFC and M1_S1 cortices at week 1
-0.13 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.12
-0.17 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.17
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity within Primary motor-somatosensory cortices at week 2
0.17 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.17
0.14 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.19
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity within Prefrontal cortex at week 2
0.09 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.09
0.10 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.11
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity within Primary motor-somatosensory cortices at week 3
0.18 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.14
0.17 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.14
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity within Prefrontal cortex at week 3
0.10 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.11
0.10 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.10
Change in Pain Related Cortical Response Using a Continuous Wave, Multichannel Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Imaging System
Connectivity between PFC and M1_S1 cortices at week 3
-0.14 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.10
-0.17 Pearson correlation coefficient
Standard Deviation 0.15

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: week 3

Population: All participants completed tDCS experience questionnaire.

The tDCS experience questionnaire contains 10 questions based on a scale from 0-10, 0 being strongly disagree and 10 being strongly agree. Higher scores indicating greater acceptability for 7 questions and lower scores indicating greater acceptability for 3 questions resulting most desirable score of a 70.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 20 minutes.
Sham tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 30 seconds.
Acceptability as Measured by the tDCs Experience Questionnaire
62.93 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 8.48
64.93 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 9.66

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: week 3

Population: Participants who experienced and reported any side effect.

If any side effects are reported, the degree of relatedness to the intervention will be assessed on a 10-point scale, from 0 (not at all) to 10 (to a high degree). The questionnaire ask to what extend did the participant experienced symptoms like, tingling, itching sensation, burning sensation, pain at the stimulation site, fatigue, nervousness, headache, difficulty concentrating, or mood change.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 20 minutes.
Sham tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 30 seconds.
Number of Participants With Possible Side Effects of Treatment
0 Participants
0 Participants

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: week 3

Population: All participants completed full tDCS protocol.

We will calculate the percentage of participants who a) meet the inclusion criteria, b) agree to be randomly assigned, c) complete the full tDCS protocol, and d) attend the follow-up assessment.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 20 minutes.
Sham tDCS
n=60 Participants
2mA current is applied for 30 seconds.
Feasibility as Assessed by the Number of Participants That Complete the Full tDCS Protocol
60 Participants
60 Participants

Adverse Events

Active tDCS

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Sham tDCS

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Additional Information

Dr. Hyochol Ahn

Florida State University

Phone: 850-644-2647

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place