UHCDS a-tDCS + TE in Fibromyalgia Patients

NCT ID: NCT06169748

Last Updated: 2024-11-04

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

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

105 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-01-08

Study Completion Date

2024-08-12

Brief Summary

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The present study aims to investigate the effect of a Unihemispheric Concurrent Dual-Site anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation combined with therapeutic exercise on pain in subjects with FM.

Detailed Description

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Fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome is characterized as a cardinal symptom of chronic pain. It is one of the rheumatic diseases with the greatest impact on quality of life.

Although the etiology and pathophysiology are not yet completely clear, FM is related to specific changes in brain activity, such as a decrease in blood flow in the thalamus, caudate nucleus and pons tegmentum. This could be related to the appearance of a disorder in pain regulation, characterized by an alteration of the sensory and pain process in the central nervous system, due to neuroplastic changes in the neural circuits related to pain. Imaging studies have shown that FM could be associated with functional changes in the brain, such as a reduction in connectivity in efferent pain inhibitory pathways and central sensitization in afferent pain pathways, resulting in an increase in pain perception.

The most common FM treatment guidelines recommend aerobic exercise as the only non-pharmacological therapy with level A recommendation in the treatment of FM. In the same way, it concludes that it is more than recommended to combine therapies assuming synergistic effects between them.

Neuromodulation treatments with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have been shown to induce significant analgesia in FM through the modification of sensory processing of pain by thalamic inhibitory circuits. To date, the few studies that have combined tDCS and therapeutic exercise in FM have applied tDCS to the primary motor cortex (M1) in isolation. Currently, several studies conclude that Unihemispheric Concurrent Dual-Site anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (UHCDS a-tDCS) on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and M1 produces a 50% greater modulation of corticospinal excitability in healthy subjects. To date, there is no study that has evaluated the effectiveness of this novel application of tDCS in subjects with FM on pain.

Conditions

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Fibromyalgia

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Real UHCDS a-TDCS + Therapeutic Exercise

Real unihemispheric concurrent dual-site anodal transcranial direct current stimulation combined with therapeutic exercise.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Real UHCDS a-tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Real UHCDS a-tDCS (STARTSTIM® 8 stimulator, Neuroelectric Barcelona, Spain) for ten sessions (three sessions per week in weeks 1 and 2; and one session per week in weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6). UHCDS a-tDCS is a galvanic current applied by a cap for 20 minutes at an intensity of 2 milliamps.

Therapeutic exercise

Intervention Type DEVICE

The therapeutic exercise program will include aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening in the same days as UHCDS a-tDCS. The program will last 30-45 minutes.

Sham UHCDS a-TDCS + Therapeutic Exercise

Sham unihemispheric concurrent dual-site anodal transcranial direct current stimulation combined with therapeutic exercise.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Sham UHCDS a-tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham UHCDS a-tDCS (STARSTIM® 8 stimulator, Neuroelectric Barcelona, Spain) for ten sessions (three sessions per week in weeks 1 and 2; and one session per week in weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6). Sham tDCS will be applied for the same time than real UHCDS a-tDCS.

Therapeutic exercise

Intervention Type DEVICE

The therapeutic exercise program will include aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening in the same days as UHCDS a-tDCS. The program will last 30-45 minutes.

Therapeutic Exercise

Therapeutic Exercise.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Therapeutic exercise

Intervention Type DEVICE

The therapeutic exercise program will include aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening in the same days as UHCDS a-tDCS. The program will last 30-45 minutes.

Interventions

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Real UHCDS a-tDCS

Real UHCDS a-tDCS (STARTSTIM® 8 stimulator, Neuroelectric Barcelona, Spain) for ten sessions (three sessions per week in weeks 1 and 2; and one session per week in weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6). UHCDS a-tDCS is a galvanic current applied by a cap for 20 minutes at an intensity of 2 milliamps.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham UHCDS a-tDCS

Sham UHCDS a-tDCS (STARSTIM® 8 stimulator, Neuroelectric Barcelona, Spain) for ten sessions (three sessions per week in weeks 1 and 2; and one session per week in weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6). Sham tDCS will be applied for the same time than real UHCDS a-tDCS.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Therapeutic exercise

The therapeutic exercise program will include aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening in the same days as UHCDS a-tDCS. The program will last 30-45 minutes.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age between 18 and 65 years.
* Fulfilled the 2010 American Colleague of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia.
* Usual pain intensity of 4 or more points on a visual analogue scale.
* Able to participated in a therapeutic exercise program.
* Understanding of spoken and written Spanish.

Exclusion Criteria

* Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
* Metallic implants in the head.
* Tumor, trauma or surgery in the brain.
* Epilepsy or stroke.
* History of substance abuse in the last 6 months.
* Use of carbamazepine in the last 6 months.
* Diagnosed psychiatric pathology.
* Rheumatic pathology not medically controlled.
* Coexisting autoimmune pathology.
* Chronic inflammatory disease (rheumatoid arthritis, erythematosus systemic lupus, inflammatory bowel disease).
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Castilla-La Mancha

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Rubén Arroyo Fernández, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

University of Castilla-La Mancha

Locations

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Hospital General Nuestra Señora del Prado

Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain

Site Status

Countries

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Spain

Other Identifiers

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UHCDS a-tDCS+ TE FM Pain

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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