Neuro-Therapeutic Interventions for Pain (NTIP) Project
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Neuro-Therapeutic Interventions for Pain (NTIP) Project
IRAS ID
223210
Contact name
Anthony Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Chronic pain (lasting more than 3 months) can persist despite the best efforts of physicians. Research has found that the brain has an important role to play in how much pain people feel and whether they develop chronic pain symptoms. We don’t understand very well why this is, or how to treat it. We are working towards new technologies that can both measure and treat changes in the brain that might contribute to chronic pain.
One new approach to treatment we are exploring is whether applying visual, sound, and touch stimulation can also stimulate the brain to find pain less unpleasant. Another option we are exploring is whether applying small amounts of electrical stimulation, which can be applied non-invasively on the scalp in a safe and painless way, can help stimulate the brain to reduce pain. These new methods require more research before we know if they are useful to patients.
This project is to find out how whether patients with chronic pain might find these non-intrusive methods of brain stimulation to be acceptable as a possible treatment, and to gather some initial evidence that the methods stimulate the brain in a useful way. We are also interested in finding out what requirements patients have for new medical equipment that measures brain activity and might help to improve brain stimulation treatments. Lastly, we want to find out whether smartphone-based pain diaries are something patients with chronic pain find useful to keep track of whether they are getting better or worse over time, for example in response to new treatments, or to help them better understand in what situations their pain feels worse. In the future, we hope this will be an easy way for patients to tell their doctor how they feel in between consultations.REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0255
Date of REC Opinion
2 Jun 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion