MedPath

DNIC Using Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Suspended
Conditions
Chronic Pain
Interventions
Other: Conditioned pain modulation test
Registration Number
NCT04896827
Lead Sponsor
Université de Sherbrooke
Brief Summary

Chronic pain (CP) is disabling for people triggering important costs for society. A deficit of diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) is one of the CP mechanisms. DNICs are evaluated in research setting using a CPM protocol (conditioned pain modulation). There is a lack of reference values on the effectiveness of DNICs. Wider research on DNIC will help to understand CP and to develop a clinical screening test evaluating DNICs. This study aims more specifically to determine whether it is possible to develop a facial recognition system to automate pain measurement and the effectiveness of pain control mechanisms.

Detailed Description

This study aims:

1. To develop and validate a predictive tool (using deep learning and artificial intelligence) to estimate the efficacy of pain control mechanisms.

2. To estimate references values for facial expressions of pain control mechanisms in healthy and in chronic pain participants.

The target population will be healthy volunteers and volunteers with chronic pain, male and female, stratified by age.

The reference values (healthy volunteers) will be established via a non-parametric method for a standard conditioned pain modulation (CPM) protocol in which two "stimuli tests" of the same intensity and nature (heat) will be applied before and after the application of another "conditioning stimulus" (cold water bath). The perceived pain difference between the 1st and 2nd stimuli tests will reflect the intensity of the DNICs. Participants' facial expressions will be captured simultaneously by three cameras during the CPM testing.

These results will be compared to those from volunteers suffering with chronic pain. The clinical decision rule will result from clinical and paraclinical elements correlating with the amplitude of the efficacy of CPM (serum noradrenaline, intensity of pain, heart rate and blood pressure measurements, psychometric questionnaires assessing anxiety, depressive feelings and pain catastrophizing). Logistic regression analysis will determine the best predictors of a CPM deficit.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
SUSPENDED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
244
Inclusion Criteria
  • 18-79 years old
  • No chronic pain
  • Able to provide consent
Exclusion Criteria
  • Cardiovascular disease (arrhythmia, cerebrovascular accident, infarction...)
  • Raynaud syndrome
  • Severe psychiatric disease (dementia, schizophrenia, psychosis, major depression)
  • Injuries or loss sensitivity to their forearms or hands
  • Pregnant women or in post-partum period (<1 year)

Participants with chronic pain

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18-79 years old
  • Chronic pain (chronic pain is defined by any regular pain for more than 6 months)
  • Able to provide consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cardiovascular disease (arrhythmia, cerebrovascular accident, infarction...)
  • Raynaud syndrome
  • Severe psychiatric disease (dementia, schizophrenia, psychosis, major depression)
  • Injuries or loss sensitivity to their forearms or hands
  • Pregnant women or in post-partum period (<1 year)
  • Chronic pain caused by cancer or migraine

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Chronic painConditioned pain modulation testPatients with chronic pain (n=100)
Healthy participantsConditioned pain modulation testHealthy participants (n=144)
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) profilesOnce, at baseline, at recruitment (comparison between 1st and 2nd test, after the conditioning stimuli)

Sensitivity and specificity of the classification algorithm according to different profiles (normal vs altered) of conditioned pain modulation, as defined by the change of pain perception before and after the cold water bath measured by computerized visual analog scale (CoVAS) ranging from 0 \[no pain\] to 100 \[most intense pain that could be tolerated\] in healthy and in chronic pain volunteers together.

Temporal summation profilesOnce, at baseline, at recruitment (during the first stimuli test)

Sensitivity and specificity of the classification algorithm according to different profiles (normal vs altered) of temporal summation, as defined by the change of pain perception during the first stimuli test measured by computerized visual analog scale (CoVAS) ranging from 0 \[no pain\] to 100 \[most intense pain that could be tolerated\] in healthy and in chronic pain volunteers together.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Physiologic factorsOnce, at baseline, at recruitment

Association of physiologic factors (continuous blood pressure, heart rate, electrodermal activity) with different response profiles of CPM and temporal summation established by the algorithm.

Demographic factorsOnce, at baseline, at recruitment

Association of demographic factors (age, gender) with different response profiles of CPM and temporal summation established by the algorithm.

Psychologic factorsOnce, at baseline, at recruitment

Association of psychologic factors (anxiety measured with HADS questionnaire) with different response profiles of CPM and temporal summation established by the algorithm.

Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) profiles of healthy volunteersOnce, at baseline, at recruitment (comparison between 1st and 2nd test, after the conditioning stimuli

Conditioned pain modulation, as defined by the change of pain perception before and after the cold water bath measured by computerized visual analog scale (CoVAS) ranging from 0 \[no pain\] to 100 \[most intense pain that could be tolerated\] only in healthy volunteers.

Temporal summation profiles of healthy volunteersOnce, at baseline, at recruitment (during the first stimuli test)

Temporal summation, as defined by the change of pain perception during the first stimuli test measured by computerized visual analog scale (CoVAS) ranging from 0 \[no pain\] to 100 \[most intense pain that could be tolerated\] only in healthy volunteers.

Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) profiles of volunteers with chronic painOnce, at baseline, at recruitment (comparison between 1st and 2nd test, after the conditioning stimuli)

Conditioned pain modulation, as defined by the change of pain perception before and after the cold water bath measured by computerized visual analog scale (CoVAS) ranging from 0 \[no pain\] to 100 \[most intense pain that could be tolerated\] only in volunteers with chronic pain.

Temporal summation profiles of volunteers with chronic painOnce, at baseline, at recruitment (during the first stimuli test)

Temporal summation, as defined by the change of pain perception during the first stimuli test measured by computerized visual analog scale (CoVAS) ranging from 0 \[no pain\] to 100 \[most intense pain that could be tolerated\] only in volunteers with chronic pain.

Facial expressions and posturesOnce, at baseline, at recruitment

Association of facial expressions and postures with different response profiles of CPM and temporal summation established by the algorithm.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Université de Sherbrooke

🇨🇦

Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

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