Actively Recruiting
Neural and Psychological Mechanisms of Pain Perception
Led by National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) · Updated on 2026-05-14
500
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
610 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Background: \- Painful stimuli cause changes in a network of brain regions called the "Pain Matrix." But most of these regions respond to many other stimuli, not just pain. Researchers want to understand how different factors influence pain. They want to test what happens when people expect different levels of pain and receive treatments that can modify pain. They want to see if these factors influence decisions about pain and how the body responds to it. They also want to compare pain with responses like taste and vision. Objectives: \- To better understand how pain and emotions are processed and influenced by psychological factors. Eligibility: \- Healthy volunteers ages 18-50. Design: * This study requires 1 to 2 clinic visits that last 1 to 3 hours. * Participants will be screened with medical history and physical exam. * Some participants will have one or more magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brain. For MRI, participants will lie on a table that slides in and out of a cylinder. The scanner makes loud knocking noises. They will get earplugs. * Participants' heart activity will be recorded with electrocardiogram. Their pulse, sweating, and breathing will be monitored. * Some participants will take a taste test. Others may perform simple tasks. Others may receive pain in their arm, leg, or hand. The pain will come from heat or electric shocks. Others may judge pain using a topical pain-relieving cream. Some of these tests may be given during MRI. * Participants will fill out questionnaires. * The study will last 3 years.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Neural and Psychological Mechanisms of Pain Perception
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Healthy
- Between 18 and 50 years old
- Fluent in English
- Able to provide written informed consent
You will not qualify if you...
- Unable to comply with study procedures or follow-up visits
- Major medical conditions or history that affect heat sensitivity, pain thresholds, or compliance (e.g., cardiovascular, autonomic, neurological conditions, stroke, blindness, deafness, brain damage, chronic systemic disease like diabetes)
- Current mood disorder, anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, history of psychosis, hospitalization for mental health, or recurrent psychiatric episodes
- Medical conditions affecting somatosensation (e.g., Raynaud's disease, peripheral neuropathy, circulatory disorder)
- Current or past chronic pain condition lasting more than six months
- Dermatological conditions affecting the testing area such as scars, burns, or recent tattoos
- Regular use of prescription medications significantly affecting pain or heat perception (including specific central-acting agents)
- Pregnancy
- NIH staff who are subordinate, relatives, or co-workers of any investigator on the protocol
- For fMRI sub-studies: ferromagnetic metal in cranial cavity or eye, abnormal structural MRI, implanted cardiac devices, insulin pump, irremovable body piercing, pregnancy, or left-handedness
- For placebo analgesia sub-studies: participation in an NIH analgesia study
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
A
Adebisi O Ayodele, C.R.N.P.
CONTACT
L
Lauren Y Atlas, Ph.D.
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
DOUBLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
OTHER
Number of Arms
8
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