NCT06340438

Investigate the Relationship Between Catastrophizing and the Perception of Itch Intensity in Healthy Individuals

Investigation of the Neurophysiological and Psychological Aspects of Itch

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 46 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Aalborg University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This project aims to investigate the relationship between different dimensions of catastrophizing (rumination, magnification, and helplessness) as well as some specific personality traits related to catastrophizing tendencies like anxiety sensitivity and fear sensitivity in the modulation of itch and pain intensities in an experimental setting.

Detailed description

Chronic itch severely affects the quality of life of patients by interfering with vital functions such as sleep, attention, and sexual activity, with an elevated expression of cognitive and emotional factors such as itch catastrophizing, worrying, as well as personality characteristics such as the predisposition to anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts that play an important role in the development, modification, and maintenance of itch. Moreover, chronic itch represents a significant socioeconomic burden due to a prevalence of around 10% in combination with largely suboptimal treatment since limited evidence has been found for the effectiveness of pharmaceutical interventions. The hypothesis of this project is that since it is well documented that the relationship between catastrophizing and pain and that itch and pain share many similarities, investigators can assume the existence of a similar connection between catastrophizing and itching.

Conditions

• Histamine
• Cowhage

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Histamine	Histaminergic itch will be evoked by a 1% histamine solution. A droplet of histamine solution will be placed on the predetermined area on the forearm, and the SPT lancet will be pierced through the histamine with 120 g of pressure for 1-2 seconds.
OTHER	Cowhage	25 spicules will be inserted in the center of the predefined skin area on the mandibular area. The spicules will be gently rubbed for 15-20 seconds in circular motion to facilitate epidermal penetration.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-04-27
• Primary completion: 2025-12-31
• Completion: 2026-12-31
• First posted: 2024-04-01
• Last updated: 2024-06-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Denmark