NCT02796625

Alpha as a Predictive Biomarker

Development of a Reliable Neurophysiological Pain Assessment Tool: Alpha as a Predictive Biomarker

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Maryland, Baltimore · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 21 Years – 44 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The investigators will use non-invasive recordings of brain activity to measure pain as a proxy to self-report. Participants will undergo testing for about 3 hours on two separate days. The testing will involve experiencing painful heat.

Detailed description

Neurophysiological investigations of pain have suggested that electroencephalograph (EEG) measures of peak alpha frequency might provide a means of pain assessment. In healthy subjects, increased peak alpha frequency is strongly correlated with pain self-reports after exposure to acute noxious heat. Conversely, chronic pain patients compared to healthy control display decreased peak alpha frequencies higher in alpha power. Measures of peak alpha frequency also show a negative relationship with disease duration, suggesting that peak alpha frequency may not only index ongoing pain but also disease progression. The overall aim is to determine the predictive accuracy, reliability, and specificity of EEG alpha activity in acute pain and a model of neuropathic pain in healthy subjects.

Conditions

• Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Painful Stimuli	warm or painful heat administration

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-07-01
• Primary completion: 2018-07-01
• Completion: 2018-07-01
• First posted: 2016-06-13
• Last updated: 2021-08-11
• Results posted: 2021-08-11

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States