Understanding Unpleasantness of Pain and Effort in the Brain
This study aims to understand how the brain processes unpleasant feelings from pain and physical effort. Researchers will use special brain scans (fMRI neuroimaging) while participants experience mild thermal pain and exert physical effort using a hand dynamometer. The goal is to identify specific brain regions involved in the subjective feeling of unpleasantness. This research could help us better understand conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), where people often have heightened responses to unpleasant sensations. You can join if you are between 18 and 50 years old. The study will look for brain activity linked to the unpleasantness of pain and effort.
- Study design
- This interventional study plans to enroll 47 participants, including healthy volunteers. The study is not blinded or randomized.
- What's involved
- You will have 3 visits over 1 to 5 weeks. During these visits, you will undergo fMRI neuroimaging while experiencing thermal pain and physical effort. You may also have a neurologic exam.
- Compensation
- Not stated in the trial record.
- Follow-up
- Measurements will be taken concurrently with the stimuli during fMRI, and then again 1-31 days after the first session.
AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.
Functional Neuroimaging to Detect the Neural Signatures of the Unpleasantness of Pain and Effort
At a glance
Conditions
Where it's being run
1 sites across 1 statesStudy leadership
- Eric M Wassermann, M.D. · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Who to contact
Opens a ready-to-send draft in your own email app — review before sending.
What this trial measures
- Determine which regions of the SVN are specifically involved in the subjective experience of unpleasantness associated with sensations of pain.The measurement will be assessed concurrently with thermal pain stimulus administration during the fMRI procedure associated with one of the study visits, 1-31 days following the visit for the first session.
SVN regions in which activity is significantly associated with unpleasantness of pain.
- Determine which regions of the SVN are specifically involved in the subjective experience of unpleasantness associated with sensations of physical effort.The measurement will be assessed concurrently with physical effort stimulus administration during the fMRI associated with one of the study visits, 1-31 days following the visit for the first session.
The SVN has been hypothesized to play a role in producing the unpleasantness of negative experiences including effort.