Study of Neuropathic Pain and Sensory Changes After Spinal Cord Injury in Adults Aged 18 to 80

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating the underlying causes of neuropathic pain that can develop after a spinal cord injury SCI. This study aims to understand the changes in the pain-sensing pathway and the interaction between the sensory and autonomic nervous systems in people with SCI. The focus is on how these changes relate to the development and persistence of neuropathic pain using advanced sensory and pain assessments. Participants will undergo various diagnostic tests including quantitative sensory testing to measure pain sensitivity, neurophysiological tests for pain processing, and cardiovascular assessments such as blood pressure and heart rate variability. The study includes groups with spinal cord injury with or without neuropathic pain, patients with peripheral neuropathy, and healthy volunteers. Some participants will be followed over time from 1 month up to 12 months, while others will have a single assessment in the chronic phase 1 year post-injury. During the study, participants will complete pain drawings and undergo tests measuring pain intensity and extent, sensory responses to thermal and mechanical stimuli, and autonomic nervous system reactions like pupil size changes. The study also collects data through neurographies and evoked potential measurements. Safety and neurological function will be monitored throughout the study, which may last up to 12 months, with some assessments occurring cross-sectionally at one year after injury or diagnosis.

Pain Phenotyping in Patients With Neuropathic Pain After Spinal Cord Injury