The Effect of Capsaicin-induced Pain on Homeostatic Plasticity in Healthy Human Participants

• Status: Recruiting
• Trial end date: 2020-12-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

People suffering from chronic pain exhibit changes in the way the central nervous system processes pain. Some of the changes in the central nervous system are associated with how the brain adapts to the process of different stimuli. There are several physiological mechanisms that regulates how the brain adapts to changes and one of these mechanisms is called homeostatic plasticity (or equilibrium plasticity ). In healthy participants homeostatic plasticity mechanisms have been tested and considered normal, whereas in patients with chronic conditions, such as low back pain, this mechanism was shown to be dysfunctional. However, it is unknown when this difference in the pain system develops. It is possible that homeostatic mechanism becomes impaired during early stages of pain. This experiment will investigate the effect of capsaicin-induced pain on homeostatic plasticity in healthy participants.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Aalborg University
• Treatments: Capsaicin

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy, aged between 18-60 years, right-handed and can speak and understand English.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Lack of ability to cooperate

• Chili allergy

• History or present chronic pain or current acute pain

• Pregnancy

• Drug addiction defined as the use of cannabis, opioids or other drugs

• Present and previous neurological disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease,

• dementia, stroke, migraine and other headache disorders, multiple sclerosis,

• Parkinson's disease, neuroinfections, brain tumors and head trauma.

• Present or previous musculoskeletal disorders such as tendonitis, degenerative disc disease, mechanical back syndrome, and ruptured/herniated disc.

• Present or previous mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

• Current use of medications that may affect the trial (e.g. analgesics, anti- inflammatories, anti-depressives)

• Contraindications to TMS application (history of epilepsy, metal implants in head or jaw, etc.)

• Failure to pass the tDCS screening questionnaire

• Failure to pass the "TASS questionnaire"