Pain Phenotyping in Patients With Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Sponsor
- University of Zurich
- Enrollment
- 300
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Spinal cord injury patients: clinical pain phenotype including the spatial pain extent and pain intensity
- Status
- Recruiting
- Last Updated
- 5 months ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The development of neuropathic pain is one of the most debilitating sequels after a spinal cord injury (SCI). The overall aim of this study is to investigate potential underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropathic pain after SCI. The functionality of the nociceptive pathway in humans as well as its plastic changes following SCI will be inferred with sophisticated sensory and pain phenotyping using quantitative sensory testing (i.e., psychophysical measures), objective neurophysiological measures of pain processing and the recording of pain-related autonomic responses (i.e., galvanic skin response, cardiovascular measures and pupil dilation). In addition, the interplay between the somatosensory and autonomic nervous system and its association with the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain after SCI will be investigated.
Investigators
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Spinal injury cohort - general inclusion criteria:
- •Aged between 18-80 years
- •Traumatic and non-traumatic etiology
- •Para- and tetraplegic SCI
- •Complete and incomplete SCI
- •SCI with and without neuropathic pain
- •Additional inclusion criteria for longitudinal study:
- •SCI since less than one month
- •Additional inclusion criteria for cross-sectional study:
- •SCI since more than one year
Exclusion Criteria
- •Inability to follow study instructions
- •Pregnancy
- •Medically manifested psychological disorder
- •Medical condition affecting the peripheral and/or central nervous system other than the desired experimental condition (e.g., additional peripheral neuropathy in the SCI cohort)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Spinal cord injury patients: clinical pain phenotype including the spatial pain extent and pain intensity
Time Frame: Cross-sectional: once in a chronic stage (1 year post-injury)
Pain drawings, plus and minus signs of pain
Patients with peripheral neuropathy: clinical pain phenotype including the spatial pain extent and pain intensity
Time Frame: Cross-sectional: once in a chronic stage (1 year post-injury)
Pain drawings, plus and minus signs of pain
Secondary Outcomes
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: resting blood pressure(Cross-sectional: once in a chronic stage (1 year post-injury))
- Patients with peripheral neuropathy / healthy controls: changes in blood pressure after a Valsalva maneuvre(Cross-sectional: once in a chronic stage (1 year post-injury))
- Patients with peripheral neuropathy / healthy controls: changes in blood pressure after a sit-up test(Cross-sectional: once in a chronic stage (1 year post-injury))
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: conditioned pain modulation(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Patients with peripheral neuropathy / healthy controls: thermal sensory testing tested with a thermode(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: N13 spinal potential(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: somato-sensory evoked potentials(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: contact-heat evoked potentials(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Patients with peripheral neuropathy / healthy controls: baro-reflex sensitivity(Cross-sectional: once in a chronic stage (1 year post-injury))
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: motor neurographies(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Patients with peripheral neuropathy / healthy controls: changes in blood pressure after a cold pressure test(Cross-sectional: once in a chronic stage (1 year post-injury))
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: temporal summation of pain after repetitive application of 12 pinprick stimuli(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: thermal sensory testing tested with a thermode(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Patients with peripheral neuropathy / healthy controls: temporal summation of pain after repetitive application of 12 pinprick stimuli(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: mechanical sensory testing tested with von Frey monofilaments/pinpricks(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Spinal cord injury patients / healthy controls: sensory neurography(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Patients with peripheral neuropathy / healthy controls: heart rate variability(Cross-sectional: once in a chronic stage (1 year post-injury))
- Patients with peripheral neuropathy / healthy controls: conditioned pain modulation(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)
- Patients with peripheral neuropathy / healthy controls: mechanical sensory testing tested with von Frey monofilaments/pinpricks(Longitudinal: change from 1 month up to 12 months)