Cognitive Conditioned Pain Modulation

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Healthy Participants

• Registration Number: NCT07234123
• Lead Sponsor: University of Washington

Brief Summary

This study looks at how the brain reduces pain when a person feels two painful sensations at the same time. Normally, the brain can "turn down" pain using natural pain-control systems, but these systems usually take some time to activate. In this study, we are testing whether very short (approximately 6 second), simultaneous pain signals can still reduce how much pain people feel, and whether this fast form of pain reduction happens because pain pulls a person's attention away from one area and toward another.

We also measure how much people's attention is pulled by pain, both with a simple listening task and with questions about where they focused their attention. By studying these fast, attention-based pain-control effects, we hope to better understand how the brain manages pain and why some people are more vulnerable to chronic pain.

Detailed Description

Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) is a natural process where feeling pain in one part of the body can reduce pain felt in another part of the body. Scientists believe this effect usually happens because the brain activates slow, chemical pain-control pathways.

In this study, we are testing a much faster version of this process. We apply two brief, painful-but-tolerable heat sensations at the same time to two different body areas, each lasting only about 6 seconds. This duration is too short for the brain's slow chemical pain-control systems to work, so if pain decreases, it is more likely due to attention, because pain naturally demands attention and can pull attention away from the original pain source.

We also use two ways to measure attention:

A listening task that becomes harder when pain demands more attention.

Simple questions asking participants where they focused their attention during each stimulus.

Together, these measurements allow us to test whether this rapid form of pain reduction is driven by attention. Understanding this fast, attention-based pain-control system may help researchers develop better behavioral or non-drug treatments for pain in the future.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2024-08-09
• Primary Completion: 2025-05-29
• Study Completion: 2025-05-29
• Status Verified: 2025-11
• Study First Submitted: 2025-11-14
• Study First Submitted QC: 2025-11-14
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-11-14
• Study First Posted: 2025-11-18
• Last Update Posted: 2025-11-18

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 24

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
worst pain ratings of foot only	rated immediately after each thermal stimulus	graphic rating scale
worst pain on graphic rating scale during test+conditioning stimulus	measured immediately after the stimuli	graphic rating scale

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
% of attention devoted to foot during test stimulus only (0-100% scale)	rated immediately after the stimuli	verbal ratings
% of attention devoted to foot during test+conditioning stimuli (0-100% scale)	rated immediately after the thermal stimuli	verbal rating

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Washington Seattle; 🇺🇸 Seattle, Washington, United States