NCT06443281

Pain Phenotyping in Patients With Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 300 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Zurich · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

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.

Conditions

• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Pain, Neuropathic
• Nociceptive Pain
• Neuropathy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Neurophysiology	Pain-related evoked potentials and nerve conduction studies
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Cardiovascular test	Blood pressure control, orthostatic intolerance test, baro-reflex sensitivity, heart-rate variability
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Experimental pain paradigms	Temporal summation of pain, conditioned pain modulation
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Quantitative sensory testing	Thermal and mechanical sensory testing
DIAGNOSTIC_TEST	Clinical pain phenotype	Pain drawings, plus and minus signs of pain

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-04-17
• Primary completion: 2030-04-30
• Completion: 2030-04-30
• First posted: 2024-06-05
• Last updated: 2025-12-02

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland