Clinical Research Directory

Pericranial and General Sensitivity in Patients With Primary Headache

Primary headaches such as migraine and tension type headache are among the most common neurological disorders and frequently cause significant disability and reduced quality of life. Increasing evidence suggests that these headaches may share biological mechanisms with temporomandibular disorders, a group of conditions affecting the jaw muscles and temporomandibular joint. Both conditions are also often associated with other chronic pain disorders, suggesting that altered pain processing and sensitization of the nervous system may play an important role in their development. Despite these observations, few studies have simultaneously evaluated local muscle tenderness around the head and neck, generalized pain sensitivity in other parts of the body, and the presence of additional chronic pain conditions in patients with primary headaches. Understanding how these factors interact may help clarify why some patients develop more severe or persistent headache disorders and may improve future diagnostic and treatment strategies. The aim of this multicenter observational study is to compare patients with primary headaches to healthy individuals without headaches. The study will assess sensitivity of muscles around the head and neck, general pain sensitivity at distant body sites, the presence of temporomandibular disorders, and the number of other chronic pain conditions. Participants will also complete questionnaires about pain symptoms and related health conditions. Participants will undergo a clinical examination performed by trained clinicians, including manual assessment of tenderness in head and neck muscles and measurement of pressure pain thresholds using a handheld device. Additional evaluations will include standardized questionnaires about pain intensity, pain distribution, and symptoms related to central sensitization. Cervical motor and sensorimotor function will also be evaluated using a wearable sensor system. By comparing individuals with primary headaches and healthy controls, the study aims to better understand the relationship between headache disorders, jaw related pain conditions, and general pain sensitivity. The results may contribute to improved clinical assessment and a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying headache and related pain disorders.

EPPIC: Easing Pelvic Pain Interventions Clinical Research Program

The EPPIC (Easing Pelvic Pain Interventions Clinical Research Program) study evaluates an ultra-brief, 4 session cognitive behavioral pain treatment transdiagnostic in design for urologic chronic pain syndrome (UCPPS) with clinical and practical advantages over existing behavioral therapies whose length and focus limits their adoption by clinicians and coverage for mechanistically similar comorbidities. A theoretically informed, practical, empirically grounded approach will systematically unpack CBT's working mechanisms, clarify for whom it works, ease dissemination, appeal to patients, providers, payers, and policy makers in the COVID-19 era favoring low resource intensity treatments, and reduce cost and inefficiencies associated with high intensity therapies whose complexity, length, and scarcity restricts uptake and impact.