Clinical Research Directory

Comparison of 10 kHz SCS Combined With CMM to CMM Alone in the Treatment of Neuropathic Limb Pain

This post-market study is being conducted to document comparative safety, clinical effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of the addition of HF10™ therapy to CMM compared with CMM alone in subjects with chronic, intractable, neuropathic lower limb pain due to diabetic neuropathy (Painful Diabetic Neuropathy or PDN). This study is a multi-center, prospective, randomized comparison of the two treatments.

Observational Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Sustained QUTENZA® Use in Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

The purpose of this post-market observational study is to provide real-world evidence to support the repeated use of QUTENZA in patients with PDPN and to evaluate the potential for pain and concomitant medication use reduction.

Pain and Neurological Function Improvements With 10 kHz Spinal Cord Stimulation Treatment of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

The purpose of this post-market study is to evaluate changes in pain and neurological function with high frequency, 10 kHz spinal cord stimulation (SCS) therapy in patients with chronic, intractable lower limb pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, a condition known as painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). This is a multi-center, prospective, randomized controlled study to evaluate improvement in pain and neurological function in PDN patients, with neurological function assessed via objective measures. Patients will be randomized to conventional medical management (CMM) or 10 kHz SCS plus CMM.

Treatment for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Painful diabetic neuropathy (pDN) occurs in a subset of diabetic patients, and is characterize by burning, shooting, and electric shock-like pain in the arms and legs. This represents a major health crisis, given the increasing prevalence of pDN and the significant impact it has on quality of life. However, there is limited evidence of effective therapies for pDN pain relief. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation that may be a promising therapy for pDN. Previous research has shown that rTMS reduces neuropathic pain in pDN (1, 2, 3). While this is promising, it is important to note that rTMS is effective for \~50% of patients with neuropathic pain. (4, 5). Recent advancements in rTMS technology have created the opportunity for remarkable strides in the effectiveness of this potential therapy. This new development called controlled pulse parameter TMS (cTMS) increases the magnitude and longevity of TMS-induced effects. Although not tested in chronic pain, cTMS possess the power to make transformative changes in pDN, potentially yielding greater and widespread improvements in pain. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to assess the effects of a 5-day cTMS stimulation protocol on measures of pain and neurological function in individuals with pDN. 1. Kwak S, Choi SG, Chang GS, \& Yang MC (2022). Short-term Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain. Pain Physician, 25(2), E203-E209. 2. Abdelkader AA, Gohary AME, Mourad HS, \& Salmawy DAE (2019). Repetitive tms in treatment of resistant diabetic neuropathic pain. Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery, 55(1). 3. Onesti E et al. (2013). H-coil repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for pain relief in patients with diabetic neuropathy. European Journal of Pain (United Kingdom), 17(9). 4. Attal N et al. (2021). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for neuropathic pain: a randomized multicentre sham-controlled trial. Brain, 144(11). 65\. Dongyang L et al. (2021). Posterior-superior insular deep transcranial magnetic stimulation alleviates peripheral neuropathic pain - A pilot double-blind, randomized cross-over study. Neurophysiologie Clinique, 51(4).

Low-Dose Naltrexone for the Treatment of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetes affects more than 30 million people in the United States and is a leading cause of morbidity. Over 25% diabetics also suffer from debilitating painful diabetic neuropathy in the lower legs and feet. This pain can be severe, difficult to control, and have a significant negative impact on quality of life. Opioid medications have historically been a mainstay of treatment for this pain, despite the risks. As the death toll from the U.S. opioid epidemic continues to rise, the need for quality alternative non-opioid medications to treat pain becomes more urgent. One of these potential medications is Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN). This drug is reported to work by enhancing the body's natural pain relieving mechanisms and decreases inflammation by targeting specific cells called microglia which have been shown to influence chronic pain. LDN has been shown to be a safe medication with minimal side effects. Its efficacy has been demonstrated in other painful conditions but has never been fully studied for treating painful diabetic neuropathy. The goal of this randomized, placebo-controlled trial is to determine if LDN is effective for treating the pain caused by diabetic neuropathy. LDN's mechanism of action is well suited to treating painful diabetic neuropathy, and LDN shows significant promise as a safe, non-opioid alternative that can decrease pain and improve quality of life for those suffering from this painful condition.

SCS for Patient With Painful Diabetic Neuropathy and Peripheral Arterial Disease

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects over 230 million adults worldwide and is a highly morbid, costly, and disabling condition. Ischemic leg pain drives disability in PAD patients and results from oxygen supply-demand mismatch, autonomic dysfunction, and muscle breakdown. This leg pain, which is unresponsive to traditional pharmacotherapy, limits the patient's tolerance to exercise, which is an important disease-modifying intervention. Spinal cord stimulation is a well-established therapy for medically intractable pain, including painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) and ischemic pain, but is not part of the standard-of-care for PAD despite limited promising clinical data. Early studies used first-generation, tonic stimulation devices, but with these it was impossible to perform sham-controlled trials to test the treatment. Since then, new types of waveform treatments, including high-frequency spinal cord stimulation (SCS), have been shown to be more effective in the treatment of intractable pain. While high-frequency SCS is approved for PDN treatment, it has never been tested in the treatment of claudication pain from PAD. This study will enroll up to 15 participants between the ages of 19 and 89 who have PAD and PDN and are successfully implanted with a permanent SCS. Twelve weeks after SCS implantation, participants will receive two weeks of stimulation and two weeks of sham intervention, in random starting order. Blood flow, blood pressure, skin oxygen levels, and participant reported pain int the lower extremities will be assessed before SCS implantation, 12 weeks after SCS implantation and during each of the treatment periods. Participants will also complete a quality of life survey at the same time points. Comparisons of these measurements with the baseline and post-implantation measurements to determine the effects of SCS.

Assessing Symptom and Mood Dynamics in Pain Using the Smartphone Application SOMA

This study relies on the use of a smartphone application (SOMA) that the investigators developed for tracking daily mood, pain, and activity status in acute pain, chronic pain, and healthy controls over four months.The primary goal of the study is to use fluctuations in daily self-reported symptoms to identify computational predictors of acute-chronic pain transition, pain recovery, and/or chronic pain maintenance or flareups. The general study will include anyone with current acute or chronic pain, while a smaller sub-study will use a subset of patients from the chronic pain group who have been diagnosed with chronic low back pain, failed back surgery syndrome, or fibromyalgia. These sub-study participants will first take part in one in-person EEG testing session while completing simple interoception and reinforcement learning tasks and then begin daily use of the SOMA app. Electrophysiologic and behavioral data from the EEG testing session will be used to determine predictors of treatment response in the sub-study.

Multimodal Intervention for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: NeuOst Feasibility Trial

This is the feasibility study of a single-site parallel three-armed participant-blinded controlled randomised efficacy trial of a 5-week course of the 'NeuOst treatment', compared to a designated control intervention, and to usual care only, for adults with pDPN.

A Study to Evaluate Pregabalin in Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pregabalin extended-release tablets in the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Pregabalin has been approved in more than 130 countries for neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, and neuralgia associated with spinal cord injury. Pregabalin extended-release tablets were administered once daily, as a single dose after dinner. Compared with pregabalin capsule formulation, it reduces the frequency of medication and improves patient compliance.

Peripheral Nerve Block in Patients With Painful Diabetic Polyneuropathy

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the role of peripheral afferent input for spontaneous pain in painful diabetic polyneuropathy