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Psychological Interventions for Pain Perception

N/A
Recruiting
Led By Lauren Y Atlas, Ph.D.
Research Sponsored by National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Between 18 and 50 years old
Be between 18 and 65 years old
Must not have
Has a current chronic pain condition or has had chronic pain in the past (painful condition lasting more than six months)
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up during the study visit in response to painful and non-painful stimuli.

Summary

This trial is testing how different psychological factors influence pain and the response to pain.

Who is the study for?
This trial is for healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 50 who speak English fluently and can consent to participate. It's not suitable for those with conditions affecting touch sensation, chronic pain history, skin issues in test areas, major medical conditions that affect heat sensitivity or pain thresholds, pregnancy, NCCIH/NIMH employees, or regular use of certain prescription medications.
What is being tested?
The study aims to understand how psychological factors like expectations influence pain perception and decision-making. Participants may undergo MRI scans while experiencing controlled thermal pain or electric shocks, perform tasks, take taste tests, and complete questionnaires during one to two clinic visits over three years.
What are the potential side effects?
There are no direct side effects from the interventions as this study involves non-invasive procedures such as MRI scans and monitored exposure to controlled painful stimuli (heat or electric shocks). However discomfort from these stimuli and loud noises from MRIs despite earplugs could be expected.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below
Select...
I am between 18 and 50 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

You may be eligible for the trial if you check “No” for criteria below:
Select...
I have or had a pain condition lasting more than six months.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~trait measures are collected during initial screening visit ; state measures are collected on every visit
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and trait measures are collected during initial screening visit ; state measures are collected on every visit for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary study objectives
BOLD response in brain regions of interest measured using fMRI
Pain perception (pain ratings)
Physiological responses (heart rate, skin conductance, respiration, pupil dilation, eye gaze position)
Secondary study objectives
Questionnaire measures (e.g. State-trait anxiety index, Fear of Pain questionnaire, Intolerance of Uncertainty questionnaire, McGill Pain Questionnaire)

Trial Design

8Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: Substudy 5: healthy volunteersExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Participants experience both placebo and cue-based expectations within subjects
Group II: Substudy 4: healthy volunteersExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants are instructed to attend toward or away from the stimulus
Group III: Substudy 2: sugar groupExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants learn about sugar outcomes through conditioning
Group IV: Substudy 2: salt groupExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants learn about salt outcomes through conditioning
Group V: Substudy 2: heat groupExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants learn about heat outcomes through conditioning
Group VI: Substudy 1: Uninstructed subjectsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants learn through experience
Group VII: Substudy 1: Instructed subjectsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants are instructed about outcomes
Group VIII: Substudy 3: healthy volunteersActive Control1 Intervention
All participants experience all outcomes, within subjects designs
Treatment
First Studied
Drug Approval Stage
How many patients have taken this drug
Instructions
2021
N/A
~110
Attention
2015
N/A
~150

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)Lead Sponsor
859 Previous Clinical Trials
671,870 Total Patients Enrolled
39 Trials studying Pain
21,538 Patients Enrolled for Pain
Lauren Y Atlas, Ph.D.Principal InvestigatorNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
2 Previous Clinical Trials
10,600 Total Patients Enrolled
2 Trials studying Pain
10,600 Patients Enrolled for Pain

Media Library

Substudy 1: Uninstructed subjects Clinical Trial Eligibility Overview. Trial Name: NCT02446262 — N/A
Pain Research Study Groups: Substudy 1: Uninstructed subjects, Substudy 2: heat group, Substudy 4: healthy volunteers, Substudy 2: sugar group, Substudy 3: healthy volunteers, Substudy 2: salt group, Substudy 5: healthy volunteers, Substudy 1: Instructed subjects
Pain Clinical Trial 2023: Substudy 1: Uninstructed subjects Highlights & Side Effects. Trial Name: NCT02446262 — N/A
Substudy 1: Uninstructed subjects 2023 Treatment Timeline for Medical Study. Trial Name: NCT02446262 — N/A
~9 spots leftby Feb 2025
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