Emotion and Memory in Chronic Neuropathic Pain

Launched by UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK, TORONTO · Jul 23, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Emotion and Memory in Chronic Neuropathic Pain," is exploring how chronic pain, specifically trigeminal neuralgia (a severe facial pain condition), affects the brain's structure and function related to emotions and memory. Chronic pain can lead to difficulties with memory and increased fear of unexpected pain, and this study aims to understand these connections better. Researchers will use advanced brain imaging techniques and cognitive tests to gather information from participants before and after they undergo surgical treatment for their pain. The goal is to compare the findings with those from healthy individuals to enhance our understanding of chronic pain and improve diagnosis and treatment options.

To participate in this study, individuals must be between 35 and 60 years old and have been experiencing trigeminal neuralgia pain for at least six months. They should not have other major neurological or psychiatric disorders and must be able to complete tasks and questionnaires. Participants can expect to undergo brain imaging and cognitive assessments, which will help researchers learn more about how pain affects the brain. This trial is currently recruiting participants, and it represents an important step toward better understanding and managing chronic neuropathic pain conditions.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria (for HC and TN):
• • Age between 35 and 60 years old
• • Absence of other active major neurological or psychiatric disorders
• • Absence of MRI contraindications
• • Able to communicate sufficiently to complete tasks and questionnaires
• • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score greater than 23/30 (MoCA ≤23/30 could indicate severe cognitive impairment)
• Inclusion Criteria for TN:
• • Experiencing TN pain over a period of 6 months
• • Stable medication use
• • Meet established diagnostic criteria for TN (ICHD-3)
• Exclusion Criteria (both HC and TN):
• • Presence of other chronic pain/headache conditions
• • Untreated hypertension or diabetes mellitus
• • History of chronic drug or substance use disorder, chronic use of opioids or steroids, head trauma affecting cognitive performance,
• • History/presence of active psychiatric illness and/or current use of psychoactive medication
• • History of multiple sclerosis, skull base injury or tumours