NCT04097522

The Effectiveness of Neurofeedback for the Treatment of Chronic Pain

Neurofeeback for Chronic Pain Project (NFB Project)

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 102 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Manchester · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study evaluates the effectiveness of neurofeedback (teaching participants to gain control over their own brainwaves) in chronic pain. The study is made up of four pilot studies. Participants who take part will undergo the cold pressor test, submerging their hand in cold water in order to simulate chronic pain. Brain activity will be measured using electroencephalography (EEG).

Detailed description

Chronic pain is a persisting pain which often exists in the absence of detectable tissue damage. It is also associated with feelings of depression, anxiety, and despair. Current treatments for chronic pain usually involves drug treatments, which often has unwanted side effects. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of neurofeedback, which refers to teaching participants to gain control over their own brainwaves, as an intervention to treat chronic pain. It is believed that by teaching participants to gain control over a brain signal associated with pain resilience, the participant can reduce some of the negative effects associated with chronic pain. Participants who take part in this study will have their brain activity recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), and have pain elicited using the cold pressor test (CPT), which involves the participant submerging their wrist in cold water to elicit a chronic pain-like sensation. This is a safe, regularly used method, and the participant is free to remove their hand early if the pain becomes too great. Some participants who take part will undergo neurofeedback training, which will involve them viewing a signal associated with pain resilience, and learning to increase it over multiple sessions.

Conditions

• Chronic Pain

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Neurofeedback	During the neurofeedback intervention, participants will be shown visual representations of their own brain activity in real-time. Over a number of sessions participants will teach themselves to increase this brain activity, in order to increase their own pain resilience levels.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-12-03
• Primary completion: 2020-10-05
• Completion: 2020-10-05
• First posted: 2019-09-20
• Last updated: 2020-04-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom