As none of the proposed experimental conditions have been executed with chronic pain patients, our main objective is to determine the sensitivity of the experimental conditions. Besides, we investigate the attention-bias for pain signals that…
ID
Source
Brief title
Condition
- Joint disorders
- Peripheral neuropathies
Synonym
Research involving
Sponsors and support
Intervention
Outcome measures
Primary outcome
Eye movement behaviour such as saccade accuracy and saccade latency (as a
measure of attentional pulling capacity) towards or away from visual targets
that have become associated with the pain stimulus are the primary outcome of
our study.
Secondary outcome
We additionally test reaction time to these visual stimuli and the speed of
learning (and unlearning) and investigate whether the attention and learning
effects are related to personality and psychological characteristics of the
tested population.
Background summary
Pain captures attention which allows us to learn which events are associated
with pain. By learning we are able to predict painful consequences and execute
appropriate defensive behavior. In some occasions, acute pain does not subside,
even though the underlying physiological damage has been recovered. It has been
suggested that such chronic pain is associated with a persistent negative
prediction of the pain signal.
Study objective
As none of the proposed experimental conditions have been executed with chronic
pain patients, our main objective is to determine the sensitivity of the
experimental conditions. Besides, we investigate the attention-bias for pain
signals that chronic pain patients (CPP) are suggested to have and its relation
to the immediate space surrounding oneself (peripersonal space). Second, we
investigate whether the chronicity of pain is related to faster learning and
slower *unlearning* of new associations between pain signals (small electrical
current) and visual events, as compared to healthy control participants.
Finally, we investigate whether the observed effects are related to personality
and psychological characteristics of the investigated population.
Study design
The proposed study has a quasi-experimental design encompassing various within-
and between-subjects factors that are investigated using a computerized visual
search task, with three different experimental conditions. A classical
conditioning paradigm is used to investigate learning principles and
questionnaires are used to determine the personality and psychological
characteristics of the study population.
Study burden and risks
Participants may experience negative emotions during the study, and the pain
stimuli can be experienced as annoying, although the used methods are low on
invasiveness. The knowledge gained with the present research has implications
for improving treatment and/ or diagnostic approaches: the benefits clearly
outweigh the costs.
Heidelberglaan 2
Utrecht 3584 CS
NL
Heidelberglaan 2
Utrecht 3584 CS
NL
Listed location countries
Age
Inclusion criteria
All participants will be between 18 and 75 years of age, capable of speaking and reading Dutch, and have pain in either their back, or their hand, for more than three months or when the pain lasts longer than is expected on basis of the tissue damage. Control participants will be healthy and pain-free as determined by self-report.
Exclusion criteria
Participants will be excluded when they have a severe neurological or psychiatric condition, known cognitive disorders, a cardiac pacemakers, Diabetes, unless on a stable dose current use of sedative psychotropic drugs such as benzodiazepines, barbiturates, tricyclic antidepressants, anticonvulsants sedatives, and classical antihistaminics, acute or chronic pain in other areas than the target area (hand or back), bilateral hand pain, serious injury to both hands, or current participation in another research protocol.
Design
Recruitment
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Other (possibly less up-to-date) registrations in this register
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In other registers
| Register | ID |
|---|---|
| CCMO | NL44250.041.13 |