Pharmacoresistant Neuropathic Pain Clinical Trial
Official title:
Non-invasive Cortical Stimulation for Pharmacoresistant Neuropathic Pain: rTMS Versus tDCS
The aim of this study is to compare analgesic efficacy of two non invasive techniques based on motor cortex stimulation in neuropathic pain patients. High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) of primary motor cortex has been demonstrated to induce an analgesic effect significantly different from placebo; this effect is clinically useful if rTMS sessions are applied daily during five consecutive days. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a new approach of non invasive cortical stimulation but its efficacy in neuropathic pain has been not yet established. The investigators propose to compare the analgesic effect of 5 tDCS sessions applied daily to a similar protocol using HF-rTMS. In parallel to the clinical therapeutic evaluation, functional-MRI will be performed before and after the five sessions of rTMS and tDCS, in order to reveal the potential plasticity induced within motor somatotopic map of the primary motor cortex.
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