Brain in Pain IV (FM,NCCP)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Brain in Pain IV: The neurophysiology of chronic idiopathic pain
IRAS ID
119596
Contact name
Julius Bourke
Contact email
Research summary
In idiopathic pain disorders (IPD), pain occurs without identifiable cause. They are poorly understood and partly as a consequence are poorly treated. This may improve with a better understanding. We aim to examine how the nerves, the brain and brain chemicals are involved in IPD. We will do this using three methods in two disorders (fibromyalgia and non cardiac chest pain), compared to healthy controls. The first method involves examining aspects that have a direct effect upon our experience of pain, including personality traits, anxiety and fatigue. Next we will use sensory tests that tell us whether an individual feels pain through the nerves normally or in a more sensitive way (‘sensitisation’), using tests for the skin and for the gullet, as we know that these can differ in individuals and this is important in the disorders we are examining. The third test is a special brain scan that lets us identify the most active parts of the brain. We will do this whilst delivering moderate pain to the thumb and to the gullet so we can look at the parts of the brain that are most active during different types of pain typical of IDP. We will do three of these scans and before each one, we will give our volunteers an inactive tablet or one of two active tablets (medicines). These medicines are commonly used and are safe. We know how they work in the brain and by looking at how brain activity changes during pain with and without these drugs we will be able to see how the brain chemistry changes during different types of pain as well as the areas affected in these disorders. This is the most important part, as it is the chemistry in the brain that medicines for chronic pain target.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/0555
Date of REC Opinion
24 Jun 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion