The study will investigate the application of a non-pharmacological operant conditioning approach to reduce phantom limb pain (PLP). PLP afflicts 60-90% people who have lost a limb. It can last for years and lead to drug dependence, job loss, and poor quality of life. Current non-pharmacological interventions are encouraging but limited, and their efficacy remains unclear. Limb amputation is known to lead to abnormal sensorimotor reorganization in the brain. Multiple studies have shown that PLP severity is correlated with the extent of this reorganization. The current study will train participants via realtime feedback of brain responses to promote more normal sensorimotor response, with the goal to reduce phantom limb pain.
The study will be recruiting people who have had a limb amputation (traumatic or atraumatic) and are experiencing chronic phantom limb pain (PLP). Participants will be asked to be seated during the study session. Non-painful peripheral stimulation will be applied to elicit an evoked response (from either muscle or brain). Electrodes will be placed on the muscles and or scalp to record these electrical brain responses during the study session. Visual feedback based on the response will be provided in pseudo realtime. The study will involve three 1-hour sessions per week for 8-9 weeks, followed by 2 follow-up sessions at 3 and 6 months after the last session. Assessments of pain intensity and quality, and neurophysiological sensorimotor response, will be performed before the first session, after the last session, and at follow-up sessions. Additional electroencephalography (EEG) based assessments will also be performed as exploratory measures, to assess inter- and intra- hemispheric functional connectivity and sensorimotor responses associated with amputation and operant conditioning training.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
20
This is a training intervention to strengthen the weakened sensorimotor responses and reduce pain, after a limb amputation. Non-painful peripheral stimulation will be applied to elicit a response.
This is a control intervention in which the non-painful peripheral stimulation will be applied, same as the operant conditioning group, but no training feedback will be provided.
Albany VA Medical Center Samuel S. Stratton, Albany, NY
Albany, New York, United States
Change in Pain as Measured by the Short form-McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ)
The Sf-MPQ assesses the pain quality in the sensory (11 items) and affective (4 items) dimensions. Each item is rated on an intensity scale of 0 (none) to 3 (severe). Total score is obtained by summing the scores for all items and the range is 0 (no pain) to 45 (severe pain).
Time frame: Baseline, end of training (session 20) i.e. approximately 10 weeks from baseline, follow-up at 3-months after training ends, follow-up at 6-months after training ends
Change in Evoked Potential (EP) Amplitude and threshhold
The evoked response to tactile stimuli will be captured in one of two ways 1) EMG and Reflex evoke responses from cutaneous nerve on the residual Limb and 2) With 64 channel non-invasive scalp electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes placed on the scalp. SSEP will be assessed at the sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the amputated limb. An increase in amplitude will indicate improvement in the sensorimotor response and tolerance.
Time frame: Baseline, end of training (session 20) i.e. approximately 10 weeks from baseline, follow-up at 3-months after training ends, follow-up at 6-months after training ends
Change in Somatosensory Evoked Potential (SSEP) Latency as Measured by a Tactile Event Related Potential Test
The evoked response to tactile stimuli will be captured with 64 channel non-invasive scalp electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes placed on the scalp. SSEP will be assessed at the sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the amputated limb. A reduction in latency will indicate improvement in the sensorimotor cortical response.
Time frame: Baseline, end of training (session 20) i.e. approximately 10 weeks from baseline, follow-up at 3-months after training ends, follow-up at 6-months after training ends
Change in Impact of Pain on Quality of Life as Measured by the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI)
This is a 52-item inventory with 12 subscales over 3 domains. Each item is scored on a 0-6 scale. Scores for each subscale are obtained by taking the mean of the scores of all items in that subscale. Higher scores indicate more severity in that subscale. Part I includes five scales designed to measure important dimensions of the chronic pain experience; Part II assesses patients' perceptions of the degree to which spouses or significant others display Solicitous, Distracting or Negative responses to their pain behaviors and complaints. Part III assesses patients' report of the frequency with which they engage in four categories of common everyday activities; Household Chores, Outdoor Work, Activities Away from Home, and Social Activities.
Time frame: Baseline, end of training (session 20) i.e. approximately 10 weeks from baseline, follow-up at 3-months after training ends, follow-up at 6-months after training ends
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