Clinical Research Directory

Effect of Anticipated Pain on Corticospinal Excitability

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the anticipation of pain, in the absence of real pain, affects the excitability of the corticospinal pathway. Corticospinal excitability reflects how responsive the motor areas of the brain are when sending signals to muscles. In this study, healthy adult participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. Both groups will receive the application of an inert cream on the forearm. Participants in the experimental group will be told that the cream may cause pain, while participants in the control group will be informed that the cream is completely inactive. In reality, the cream has no physical effect in either group. This design allows the researchers to isolate the effect of pain anticipation (a nocebo effect) without exposing participants to actual pain. Corticospinal excitability will be measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive technique that stimulates the motor cortex to assess brain-to-muscle communication. Measurements will be taken before and after the application of the cream. In addition, psychological factors related to catastrophizing and fear of movement will be assessed using validated questionnaires, and physiological responses associated with stress will be measured through heart rate variability. The main question this study aims to answer is whether anticipating pain, even without experiencing real pain, alters corticospinal excitability, and whether this effect is influenced by fear of movement and catastrophizing. By improving our understanding of how pain-related expectations affect brain function, this research may contribute to better strategies for preventing maladaptive motor changes associated with chronic pain.

Muscle Synergies in Pain and Pain Anticipation

This study investigates how the anticipation of pain affects muscle synergies. Two groups will be compared: an experimental group, who first experience actual pain from capsaicin cream and are then presented with a harmless cream deceptively labeled as capsaicin, against a control group, who are presented with a harmless cream labeled as potentially painful, without any prior painful experience. The changes in muscle synergies will be measured during walking tasks.

Muscular Synergies and Behavioral Adaptations of Gait in Pain Anticipation (SYAMAPP)

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the anticipation of pain influences gait control and psychophysiological responses in healthy individuals. Participants will receive a neutral cream described either as potentially painful (experimental group) or inert (control group), and their behavioral and physiological adaptations will be measured during walking tasks.

Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Placebo and Nocebo Effects in Sports - a Protocol Paper

This clinical trial aims to investigate the neurophysiological mechanisms of placebo and nocebo effects on sports performance, using Electroencephalography (EEG) and isometric strength testing of the lower extremities. The primary objective of this trial is to identify temporal mechanisms and cortical regions and networks involved in generating placebo and nocebo effects before (expectation) and at onset of athletic performance (perception). The trial will include four groups, two of them experimental, one an active control and one natural history, meaning participants in this group will receive no intervention and won't be EEG controlled. Data will be collected on two occasions with baseline data for EEG, expectations and performance as well as key participant characteristics being collected on day one. On day two, in a deceptive process, participants in the two experimental groups will take an inert substance presented as either performance enhancing or inhibiting and subsequently experience a reinforcement of beliefs via exposure to explicit adjectives. EEG data will be collected during reinforcement of beliefs. In the active control group, participants will receive no substance, but this group will follow the same procedure as the experimental groups with neutral adjectives. Participants will then perform isometric strength and fatigue resistance tests on an isometric dynamometer. EEG data as well as subjective data on expectations and rating of perceived exhaustion will be collected.