JIT: Effect of Pain on DT in TMD

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · Oct 24, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The JIT trial is studying how chronic pain from temporomandibular disorder (TMD) affects drinking habits in people who drink heavily. Researchers want to understand if and how pain influences alcohol use, as people with TMD pain may be more likely to drink alcohol. This study aims to fill a gap in knowledge about the relationship between pain and drinking by observing participants in both controlled lab settings and their daily lives.

To participate, individuals must be between 21 and 65 years old, fluent in English, and regularly consume alcohol beyond recommended guidelines. They should also have a diagnosis of TMD. Participants will need to own a smartphone with internet access. Importantly, individuals with certain health conditions, such as severe depression or substance use disorders, will not be eligible. Those who join the study can expect to engage in various tasks related to their drinking patterns and pain levels over the course of the trial.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Participants in this study must be 21 years to 65 years of age and provide a driver's license or other state-issued ID.
• • Participants must also be sufficiently fluent in English to provide informed consent and understand questionnaires and instructions for laboratory procedures.
• • Participants in this study must report regular drinking exceeding NIAAA guidelines for (≥ 2 (men) or ≥ 1 (women) drinks per day on average) over the past six months, as well as drinking on ≥ 2 days/week.
• • Meet Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) for myalgia (masticatory muscle pain), arthralgia (TMJ pain), or a combination (Schiffman et al., 2014) (TMD group only).
• • Own a smartphone with internet access.
• • Use of prescription medications will be allowed, provided they do not contraindicate alcohol use.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Use of opioid analgesics within the past month;
• • Current major depression;
• • History of any psychotic disorder;
• • Under-controlled hypertension or diabetes (as reflected by self-report); neurological disease (e.g., multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease);
• • Serious medical illness (e.g., hepatitis, HIV/AIDS);
• • Impaired cognitive function;
• • History of substance use disorder (including nicotine/tobacco);
• • Alcohol naïve
• • Alcohol use disorder, or currently attempting to quit or cut down on using alcohol
• • Positive pregnancy test
• • Breastfeeding or intending to become pregnant
• • Loss of sensation in the lower leg
• • Inability to complete study tasks due to weakness, immobilization, or loss of limbs
• • Chronic pain (Control group only)
• • A urine-based drug screen for tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, benzodiazepines, morphine, and methamphetamine (Innovacon, Inc., San Diego, CA) will be performed. Participants testing positive for any substance will be discontinued.
• • Medications that contraindicate alcohol use