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Brain-Stomach Circuits in Chronic Nausea
Sponsor: David Levinthal
Summary
The goal of this study is to determine whether stimulation of the brain-stomach connection can influence stomach activity in healthy adults and in individuals suffering from chronic nausea. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What are the best brain sites to influence the stomach? * What are the effects of different stimulation patterns on stomach activity? * Does the stimulation affect the sensation of nausea in participants suffering from chronic nausea? Researchers will use a non-invasive method of brain stimulation called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and will record stomach responses with skin electrodes on the abdomen. Participants will: * Visit the clinic at least once, and for up to 9 times more over the course of several months. * Receive TMS while sitting in a chair similar to a dentist's chair. * Drink water or consume a test meal during each study visit.
Official title: TMS Neuromodulation of Brain-to-Stomach Circuits in Chronic Nausea
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
21 Years - 60 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
219
Start Date
2026-01-28
Completion Date
2031-07
Last Updated
2026-01-30
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Conditions
Interventions
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, TMS
The best location for evoking an electromyographic (EMG) response of the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscle in left and right hand to stimulation of the primary (M1) motor cortex and the minimum stimulation intensity required to evoke a certain EMG response amplitude (Motor Threshold, MT) are determined. This serves as a reference to determine the best location and stimulation parameters to evoke GMEPs from M1 and pre-motor cortical areas. After identification of the GMEP hot-spot, a stomach filling task (water load test or test meal) is administered and changes in the electrogastrogram (EGG) are monitored. In subsequent study visits, the stomach filling task is preceded by application of neuromodulatory repetitive TMS (rTMS), targeted to the GMEP hotspot.
Locations (1)
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States