Neuropathic Pain in Head and Neck Cancer
Head and Neck CancerThe goal of this research study is to learn more about chronic pain associated with cancer treatment.
Structural and Functional Brain Reorganization in Neuropathic Pain: Basal State of Local Cerebral...
Neuropathic PainNeuropathic pain is a medical condition involving allodynia (painful perceptions in response to stimuli that normally are not) and spontaneous pain (occurring at rest, without stimulation). This pain is secondary to nervous system injury affecting the sensory system. The lesion is either at the nerve endings of the spinal cord or brain. It induces a loss of sensitivity and likely reorganization of brain activity that are causing pain and which are the subject of this study. Previous studies in functional neuroimaging has focused on brain areas activated during allodynic stimuli compared to non-painful stimuli. The abnormalities have been reported, but it was not possible to conclude formally. The authors failed to assess the part of the effect of the loss of sensory afferents (deafferentation) and the basal brain function. Indeed, the operation without any sensory stimulation is not known yet is the initial level of activity which is the benchmark for studying brain function during stimulation. The objective of this study is to understand what are the cortical systems of allodynic dysfunctional in patients compared with controls at baseline.
Study of Nicotine for Pain Associated With Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
NeuropathyPeripheral Neuropathy2 moreAssess the efficacy of short-term nicotine transdermal patch administration for the treatment of CIPN in cancer stable patients or patients in remission.
D-cycloserine in the Management of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathic Pain
NeurotoxicityPain1 moreD-cycloserine may help lessen pain and other symptoms of peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether D-cycloserine is more effective than a placebo in treating peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was designed to study D-cycloserine at 2 different doses to see how well each works compared to the other and to a placebo in treating cancer patients with peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy.
Cryoneurolysis of Arnold's Nerve and Follow-up by Tractography: Feasibility Study
Neuralgia ArnoldAccording to the World Health Organization (WHO), headaches are one of the most common nervous system disorders. The therapeutic strategy is well established for certain subcategories of headache. On the other hand, when headaches become refractory, some nerves may become the target of targeted therapies. This is the case of the Arnold nerve, also called the great occipital nerve, which is involved in certain pathologies, both physiopathologically and therapeutically. The Arnold nerve infiltration has a relatively short duration of effectiveness (about 1 month on average), some teams have reported the interest of achieving a destruction of the Arnold nerve by radio frequency, with extended durations of efficiencies to several months. The use of cryoneurolysis has been known for a long time and its effectiveness in the management of cranio-facial pain is already reported. It is thus possible to obtain, at the end of the cryoanalgesia needle, very low temperatures around -40 ° C, which leads to the formation of an ice cube and, where appropriate, the freezing of the structures (nerves among others) to the needle contacts. This induces the formation of microcrystals leading to irreversible lesions of vasa-nervorums resulting in an endoneural edema. In the long run, it appears a Wallerian degeneration without destruction of this endoneurum. This is associated with the lack of destruction of the structure of the Schwann cell. Nerve regeneration is possible. The diffusion MRI study allows tractographic reconstruction of the nerves. This is the only imaging technique that focuses on the fibrillar structure of the nerves, thus enabling the detection of nerves throughout its path. It is a morphological imaging technique nevertheless it also allows a quantitative analysis of the nerve through certain parameters. The Investigators hypothesize that the cryoneurolysis of the Arnold nerve will result in the disappearance of visualization of the nerve by MRI tractography. The effect of cryoneurolysis on Arnold nerves, as on other peripheral nerves through diffusion MRI has never been described. The follow-up of MRI patients who had undergone cryoneurolysis would make it possible to study the behavior of these nerves after cryoneurolysis, and to correlate the aspect in tractography with the clinical data. Painful recurrence can then be correlated with visualization of the nerves by MRI.
Efficacy of Intrathecal Oxytocin in Patients With Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic PainThe purpose of the study is to determine the effect of oxytocin given into the spinal fluid on pain and areas and intensity of hyperalgesia and allodynia in patients with chronic neuropathic pain.
Lamictal in the Treatment of Post-Herpetic Neuralgia
NeuralgiaPostherpeticTo assess the efficacy of Lamictal for the treatment of pain and reduction of allodynia in patients with post herpetic neuralgia.
Long-term Effects of Repetitive TMS in Chronic Neuropathic Pain in People With SCI
Spinal Cord InjuriesNeuralgia1 moreAround 80% of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) develop chronic neuropathic pain (CNP). This is a debilitating condition with major negative impacts on people's quality of life. Many treatment options have been offered (invasive stimulation, drugs) but provide limited effects and many secondary effects. There is a critical need to develop a new generation of therapies. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive and painless brain stimulation technique that allows researchers to explore and change brain excitability that has shown promising effects in neuropathic pain. However there is not enough evidence of what are the long lasting effects of the different protocols. In this study, 30 SCI subjects with CNP in their hands will participate in the study. The objective is to evaluate the efficacy of real versus sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and investigate 1) short and long term effects on pain and 2) the behavioral and neurophysiological qualities of responders and non-responders to this treatment.This will be a randomized sham controlled trial with two groups: real or sham high frequency repetitive TMS protocol (20Hz). The protocol will be done daily for two weeks. Clinical, functional and neurophysiological evaluations will be assessed at baseline, post intervention and at 6-week follow up.
Acute and Chronic Pain, Especially Neuropathic Pain, After Thoracotomy and Continuous Application...
Acute PainChronic Pain1 moreChronic Pain, especially neuropathic pain, are adverse events after posterolateral thoracotomy for lung resection. The continuous application of ketamine may have a prophylactic effect and helps to prevent chronic pain. The investigators record the incidence and severity of acute pain and neuropathic pain during a seven day period after thoracotomy as well as the incidence of chronic pain and neuropathic pain after one and three month period. Parallel Group design, comparing one Group with a continuous application (24 hours) of ketamine against a Placebo Group.
Ketamine and fMRI for Neuropathic Pain
NeuralgiaNeuropathic or nerve injury related pain (NP), an extremely unpleasant condition that is difficult to treat, often has a severe, persistent, and unremitting course. Conventional treatments are often ineffective in relieving NP. Recently, the investigators have developed a cost-efficient regimen involving use of low dose infusions of ketamine for treating neuropathic pain in patients in whom oral medications have failed. We have observed excellent benefits in many of these patients. However, this treatment requires titration and monitoring during the infusion and currently it is not possible to predict which patients will benefit from this intervention. The investigators have shown that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain can be used as a tool to predict relief of pain and to assess the effect of treatment in some chronic pain conditions. This innovative project involves development of an fMRI-guided treatment with intravenous ketamine in patients with NP. This study aims to analyze patterns of changes in fMRI of the brain, before and after infusion of ketamine and to correlate the changes with pain intensity. The information from this study will help to deliver this therapy earlier to those patients who are most likely to benefit from ketamine.