Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain Clinical Trial
Official title:
Brain as a Therapeutic and Research Target in Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain
The main goal of this study to integrate techniques producing images of the brain (also called neuroimaging techniques) with non-invasive brain stimulation to investigate factors that may be associated with chronic pain in patients with Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain (TNP).
Trigeminal neuropathic pain (TNP) disorders, such as classical trigeminal and post-surgical
neuralgia, are debilitating chronic conditions with pain that is either spontaneous or that
can be intensely evoked by light touch to the facial skin. Although neuroimaging techniques
have provided insights into some brain mechanisms of experimental trigeminal pain in humans
(DaSilva et al., 2002; Borsook et al., 2003), it is not well understood how structural and
molecular mechanisms are affected during the course of TNP, and how they can be safely
modulated for therapeutic and research purposes. Understanding these processes is crucial to
determine the structures engaged in the development and persistence of TNP.
We will test the hypothesis that chronicity of TNP is sustained by changes at cellular and
molecular levels in neural circuits associated with pain perception and modulation, rather
than by the initial peripheral etiology, and that this dysfunction can be safely targeted and
modulated as a therapeutic approach by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). To
achieve this goal we will use a neuroimaging technique, PET, employing a mathematical model
that permits the quantification of opioid receptor availability in vivo.
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| Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminated |
NCT02321566 -
Motor Cortex Stimulation for the Treatment of Chronic Facial, Upper Extremity, and Throat Pain.
|
Phase 1 | |
| Active, not recruiting |
NCT03309813 -
Feasibility Study of ExAblate Thalamotomy for Treatment of Chronic Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain
|
N/A |