Neuromodulation of Lidocaine and Capsaicin Cream Effects on Pain Experience



Status:Recruiting
Conditions:Chronic Pain
Therapuetic Areas:Musculoskeletal
Healthy:No
Age Range:21 - 50
Updated:3/9/2019
Start Date:May 2016
End Date:May 2019
Contact:Georgia Wilson, BA
Email:gjwilson@mgh.harvard.edu
Phone:617-726-5004

Use our guide to learn which trials are right for you!

Trial Summary
Trial Overview
Inclusion Criteria

Neuromodulation of Placebo and Nocebo Effects

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.


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
We found this trial at
1
site
Massachusetts General Hospital
Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
Principal Investigator: Jian Kong
Phone: 617-643-7947
?
mi
from
Charlestown, MA
Click here to add this to my saved trials