MedPath

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation With Visual Comfort for Treating Chronic Pain in Inflammatory Demyelinating Diseases

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Idiopathic Inflammatory Demyelinating Disorders of the Central Nervous System
Registration Number
NCT06942611
Lead Sponsor
Xuanwu Hospital, Beijing
Brief Summary

Non-invasive neurostimulation can effectively improve patients' symptoms and has shown good therapeutic efficacy in alleviating the symptoms of IIDDs (Inflammatory Immune-mediated Demyelinating Diseases). However, some patients have not achieved the desired results, which may be due to individual differences in neural responsiveness \[20\]. Therefore, this study aims to assess the therapeutic effect of transcranial electrical stimulation combined with visual placebo on improving symptoms such as painful spasm in IIDDs patients, by considering both the overall characteristics of IIDDs disease symptoms and individual differences in patients. The study will explore the imaging characteristics, electrophysiological features of the disease symptoms, and their relationship with clinical manifestations, while analyzing the key factors that influence treatment efficacy.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
80
Inclusion Criteria

Patients diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, multiple sclerosis, or other central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating diseases that meet the diagnostic criteria;

Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain score ≥4;

Age between 18 and 65 years, regardless of gender;

Stable dose of immunosuppressive therapy for at least one month;

EDSS score ≤6;

Right-handed;

Agree to participate and sign the informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria

A history of relapse within the past month;

Recent medication adjustments or treatment with modified electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, or other neurostimulation techniques within the past month;

Participation in any other clinical trial within the past month or currently participating in another clinical trial;

Presence of cochlear implants, pacemakers, or implanted stimulators in the brain;

Skin integrity at the electrode placement site is compromised, or allergy to electrode gel or adhesive;

A history of epilepsy, hydrocephalus, central nervous system tumors, brain injury, or intracranial infections;

Pregnant or breastfeeding women, or those planning to become pregnant in the near future;

A score of ≥3 on item 3 (suicide item) of the HDRS-17, or a history of severe psychiatric disorders;

Presence of severe or unstable organic diseases;

Poor patient compliance preventing cooperation with treatment, follow-up, or clinical, EEG, and imaging data collection;

Any other situation deemed unsuitable for participation in the study by the investigator.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Visual Analog ScaleFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

VAS Score (Visual Analog Scale) is a commonly used tool to assess pain intensity. It usually consists of a line marked with "no pain" (0 points) and "worst possible pain" (such as 0-100 points). The patient marks their level of pain on the line to provide a score. The advantage of the VAS is its simplicity, clarity, and ease of use for patients.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Functional Connectivity of EEG dataFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

the statistical dependencies between spatially separated brain regions, reflecting how different parts of the brain communicate during rest.

EEG features of Absolute PowerFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

Power spectral analysis of EEG data quantifies the distribution of signal power across different frequency bands(e.g., delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma), providing insights into the brain's oscillatory activity. It is typically performed using Fourier or wavelet transforms to compute.

NRS scoresFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

The NRS (Numerical Rating Scale) is a self-reported tool that measures pain intensity on a scale from 0, indicating no pain, to 10, representing the worst possible pain.

SF-MPQ scoresFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

The SF-MPQ (Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire) measures pain quality and intensity using a set of descriptive words rated on an intensity scale; higher scores indicate greater pain severity.

Modified Ashworth scaleFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

The Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) is used to assess muscle spasticity by measuring resistance during passive soft-tissue stretching, with scores ranging from 0 (no increase in muscle tone) to 4 (rigid in flexion or extension), where higher scores indicate greater spasticity.

The HAMD (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) scoresFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

The HAMD (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) is a clinician-administered questionnaire used to assess the severity of depression, with scores typically ranging from 0 to 52; higher scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms.

The HAMD (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale) scoresFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

The HAMD Anxiety Subscale refers to the anxiety-related items within the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, which are used to assess both psychological and somatic symptoms of anxiety, such as tension, worry, restlessness, fear, and somatic complaints. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms. This subscale is clinician-rated and commonly used to evaluate anxiety levels in patients with depression.

Fatigue Severity ScaleFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

The FSS (Fatigue Severity Scale) is a self-reported questionnaire used to assess the impact of fatigue on a person's daily functioning, consisting of 9 items rated on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree); higher scores indicate more severe fatigue.

MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) ScoreFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

The MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) is a widely used clinician-administered tool for screening cognitive function, with scores ranging from 0 to 30; higher scores indicate better cognitive performance, while lower scores suggest cognitive impairment.

Epworth Sleepiness Scale scoresFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

The ESS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) is a self-reported questionnaire used to assess daytime sleepiness by asking individuals to rate their likelihood of dozing off in various daily situations; scores range from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating greater daytime sleepiness.

Short Form Health Survey-36 ScoreFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

The SF-36 (Short Form Health Survey-36) is a self-reported questionnaire that measures overall health-related quality of life across eight domains, including physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, and mental health. Scores for each domain range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health status and quality of life.

Microstate Analysis of EEG dataFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

EEG microstate analysis involves segmenting the continuous EEG signal into short periods of quasi-stable topographic maps, each representing a distinct brain functional state. These microstates are identified using clustering algorithms (e.g., k-means) on scalp voltage maps derived from the EEG's global field power peaks.

Nonlinear Dynamics of EEG dataFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

Nonlinear dynamics of EEG data provide a general measure of the brain's complexity and the unpredictable nature of neural activity. These analyses help reveal hidden patterns and dynamic properties that are not captured by traditional linear methods.

Graph theory metrics of EEG dataFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

Graph theory metrics of EEG data characterize the brain's functional network organization by modeling connectivity patterns as a graph of nodes (electrodes or regions) and edges (functional connections).

Structural measures from T1-weighted MRIFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

Structural measures from T1-weighted MRI assess the brain's anatomical properties

Functional measures of resting-state fMRIFrom enrollment to the end of treatment at 1 month

Functional measures of resting-state fMRI capture spontaneous brain activity and inter-regional communication by analyzing low-frequency BOLD signal fluctuations.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University

🇨🇳

Beijing, China

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath