Brain Biomarker of Endogenous Analgesia in Patients With Chronic Knee Pain

Completed

Conditions studied: Chronic Pain, Chronic Knee Pain, Knee Osteoarthritis, Analgesia

In brief

This case-control study in patients with knee osteoarthritis and pain-free control individuals aims to develop a brain biomarker of endogenous analgesia that may be used in subsequent clinical trials. Deficits in central nervous system (CNS) pain inhibition may contribute to chronic pain intensity, but quantitative sensory testing (QST) methods are limited. Incorporating brain imaging to assessments of CNS pain inhibition, by examining activity in relevant brain networks, would allow for an objective, physiologic measure of CNS pain inhibition. Preliminary data in pain-free volunteers implicate cortical activity measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during CNS pain inhibition. Broadly, the investigators hypothesize that variability in CNS pain inhibition contributes to variability in clinical pain intensity.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05003323

Run by

University of Pittsburgh

People needed

110

Starts

2021-11-18

Expected to finish

2023-10-20

Last updated by the study team

2025-01-13

Who can join

Age: 45 and older, up to 80. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• For the knee arthritis groups: Chronic knee pain with evidence of knee osteoarthritis - radiographically grades 2-4
• Age: 45-80 years old
• Gender: Males and females will be recruited.
• Language: only English-speaking subjects will be included.

You may not qualify if…

• Inflammatory arthritis (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis)
• Inability to walk and climb stairs unassisted
• History of knee replacement or open knee surgery
• History of arthroscopic knee surgery within the last 3 months (>3 months does not exclude participant)
• History of knee radiofrequency nerve ablation or ligation
• Current opioid use
• Current use of antidepressants that are not in the serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. Patients who are currently using an SSRI are allowed to take part in the study
• Cognitive impairment affecting the ability to provide informed consent, understand directions, and participate in study procedures
• Uncontrolled or unstable medical disorder preventing participation in study procedures
• History of brain surgery
• Tattoos on forearm or knee
• Pregnancy
• Patients with chronic pain conditions that are more severe than their knee arthritis pain (e.g., CRPS, fibromyalgia)
• Patients whose most painful knee is excluded for another reason (e.g., recent surgery on most painful knee)
• For the pain-free control group: a history of chronic pain
• History of intra-articular steroid injections, platelet enriched or hyaluronic acid injections in the last 1 month

Where it is running

• UPMC Pain Medicine at Centre Commons — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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