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79 active trials for Neuropathic Pain

Project Relief: Developing Brain Stimulation as a Treatment for Chronic Pain

Effective control of chronic pain is a top priority in the United States, as approximately 10% of adults have severe chronic pain most of which is chronic lower back pain (CLBP). However, despite the advances in neuroscience over the past 20 years, chronic pain is largely treated with opiate narcotics, much as was done in the Civil War. In addition to their high abuse liability and dependence potential, only 30 40% of chronic pain patients declare they receive satisfactory (>50%) relief from their pain through pharmacological treatment. In these patients a common clinical practice is to escalate the dose of opiates as tolerance develops which unfortunately has contributed to escalation in opiate overdose deaths, a resurgence of intravenous heroin use, and $55 billion in societal costs. Consequently, there is a critical need for new treatments that can treat pain and reduce reliance on opiates in individuals with chronic pain. The proposed study will be the first to employ a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled design to parametrically evaluate the longitudinal effects of 16 days of Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the primary motor cortex (MC) or the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) on self-reported pain and the brain s response to pain. This will be done in a cohort of patients recruited from the community as well as Wake Forest Baptist Health (WFBH) clinics with chronic lower back pain that have not been able to find adequate pain relief, whether or not they are using prescription opiates for 3 or more months. Participants will be randomized to receive rTMS to the MC, MPFC, or sham (50% at each site), using a Latin square randomization. Resting state connectivity will be collected 3 times: before the 1st day of TMS, after the 12th day of TMS, and before the 16th day of TMS (the last day administered).

Start: June 2020
Effectiveness of Ketamine Administered by Mesotherapy in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1 (CRPS1)

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 (CRPS1) is a disabling pain syndrome. Its definitive treatment has not been established and the results of current treatments are often unsatisfactory. The prognosis is difficult to establish because the vast majority of CRPS regresses within a few weeks. However, some forms are hyperalgesic with a major chronic painful picture, very debilitating and responding poorly to treatments with possible permanent sequelae. The management of CRPS remains difficult and unsatisfactory and is symptomatic, multidimensional and multidisciplinary involving medical, paramedical and socio-professional workers. The priority therapeutic objectives are analgesia, maintenance or gain of joint range and maintenance or restoration of motor functions. This treatment is not the subject of a consensus and its implementation is sometimes the responsibility of specialized centers such as "pain relief" centers or even Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (MPR) structures. Previous studies using ketamine as a treatment for CRPS1 show encouraging results with a decrease in neuropathic pain. Ketamine is a low dose pain reliever. Ketamine has been studied as an adjuvant for the treatment of chronic pain, particularly neuropathic pain. The results suggest that ketamine decreases pain intensity and reduces opioid reliance when used as an adjunct to chronic and acute pain. Ketamine is believed to have a greater analgesic effect in patients with CRPS1 compared to other chronic pain syndromes. In these studies, ketamine was used intravenously, subcutaneously, orally, intranasally, or topically. Mesotherapy allows microdose local treatment to be carried out limiting side effects, ensuring compliance and easy to implement. The injected solutions often contain a local anesthetic (procaine or lidocaine). It allows better local tolerance from the start of treatment. In addition, through its vasodilator effect on the microcirculation, it increases the effectiveness and tolerance of other injected products. There are no studies using ketamine administrated by mesotherapy. Based on the scientific literature, there are good reasons to believe that this treatment could be effective on the neuropathic pain of CRPS1 and well tolerated.

Start: September 2021
Evaluation of the Effect of Neuropathic Pain on Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that mainly affects the joint synovium. Rheumatoid arthritis patients define pain as their major symptom and the most important reason for applying to a healthcare institution. Approximately 70% of rheumatoid arthritis patients state that improvement in their pain compared to other symptoms of the disease is their priority. Pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients is also important as the disease affects approximately 0.5-1% of patients worldwide. Although pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients can be persistent or intermittent, localized or widespread, it has often been associated with fatigue and psychosocial stress. Although nociceptive pain,defined as 'gnawing' or 'aching', is frequently observed in rheumatoid arthritis patients, typical neuropathic pain,such as 'burning' or 'itching', can be observed in some RA patients. It is thought that neuropathic pain may occur as a result of lesions or disease affecting the somatosensorial nervous system. Neuropathic pain can occur with little or no stimulus, and its symptoms are abnormal sensations such as hyperalgesia and allodynia. The diagnosis and treatment of neuropathic pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients is important because neuropathic pain does not decrease with traditional disease-modifying anti-inflammatory drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis and causes a decrease in quality of life. In order to distinguish neuropathic pain from chronic pain, methods based on defining the quality of pain are often used. Some of these methods are; The McGill Pain Questionnaire, PainDETECT, RAPS (Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Scale), VAS (visual analog scale), AIMS (Arthritis Impact Scale), EQ-5D (European Quality of Life Assessment and Pain Assessment Questionnaire). The diagnosis and treatment of neuropathic pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients is important because neuropathic pain does not decrease with traditional disease-modifying anti-inflammatory drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis and causes a decrease in quality of life.

Start: April 2021