Long Term Efficacy of Neuronavigation Guided rTMS in Alleviating Gulf War Illness Related Headaches and Pain Symptoms

Launched by VETERANS MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION · Nov 27, 2019

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to see how well it helps relieve headaches and pain symptoms related to Gulf War Illness. Gulf War Illness can affect veterans who served in the Persian Gulf War from 1990 to 1991, leading to issues like headaches, muscle pain, and joint pain. The goal of the study is to understand the long-term benefits of this treatment for those suffering from these symptoms.

To participate, individuals must be veterans under 65 years old who served in the military for at least 30 consecutive days during the Gulf War. They should also meet specific criteria related to their headaches and pain levels. Participants can expect to receive rTMS treatment and will be evaluated for its effects on their symptoms over time. It’s important to note that certain individuals, such as those with a history of major psychiatric disorders or specific medical conditions, may not be eligible for this trial. If you're interested in learning more about this study, it could be a valuable opportunity to explore potential relief from Gulf War Illness symptoms.

Gender

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Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Male or female under 65 years of age who served in the military for at least 30 consecutive days between August 1, 1990, and July 31, 1991 in the Persian Gulf War region
• • Center for Disease Control (CDC) Criteria for Gulf War Illness (GWI)
• • Kansas Criteria for GWI
• • International Headache Society Criteria for Migraine Headache without aura Average Headache Exacerbation Intensity \>3 on 0-10 a Numerical Pain Rating scale (NPS)
• • Average Overall Daily Muscle Pain Intensity \>3 on 0-10 a NPS
• • Average Overall Daily Extremities Joint Pain Intensity \>3 on 0-10 a NPS
• • Headache Exacerbation/attack 3 times per week with the average intensity \>3 on a 0-10 NPS, lasting \> 4 hours in the past three months
• • Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD) \<14 based on the sum of scores for the first 17 items
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Pregnancy
• • History of pacemaker implant
• • Any ferromagnetic (e.g. bullet fragment, shrapnel, device implant) in the brain or body that will prohibit the patients from having a brain MRI
• • History of dementia, major psychiatric diseases, or life-threatening diseases
• • Presence of any other chronic neuropathic pain states such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or Painful Peripheral Neuropathy
• • History of seizure
• • Pending litigation
• • Low back pain with mechanical origins such as lumbar radiculopathy or radiculitis or lumbar facet arthropathy
• • Lack of ability to understand the experimental protocol and to adequately communicate in English
• • History of Traumatic Brain injury
• • Chronic Tension or Cluster Headache
• • Ongoing Cognitive Rehabilitation or Treatment of PTSD