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NCT Number: NCT06794242

Body Representation and Neuropathic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury

Chronic pain is one of the main complications of spinal cord injury, has a very negative impact on quality of life, and persists over time despite the use of analgesic treatments. Several types of pain are possible in patients with spinal cord injury, and neuropathic pain (pain caused by damage to the spinal cord, in this case) is one of the most difficult to treat, even with medication. Following an injury to the spinal cord, it is possible for the representation of the body to change as a result of sensorimotor deficits, prolonged changes in body posture and altered mobility. At present, the causes of chronic pain after spinal cord injury remain poorly understood and debated, but one hypothesis suggests that changes in body representation may play a key role in the development or worsening of neuropathic pain. To test this hypothesis, we will assess the perception of spinal cord injured patients (and a group of controls) of the size of their legs using a virtual reality device. This measurement will enable us to examine whether under- or over-estimation of leg length correlates with the presence of neuropathic pain in patients. Chronic pain in people with spinal cord injury is associated with an increased risk of stress, depression and anxiety, and understanding and treating neuropathic pain in people with spinal cord injury is a major issue in their management.

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Key information

Conditions

Spinal Cord Injury Central Nervous System Diseases Nervous System Diseases Neuralgia Neurologic Manifestations Neuromuscular Diseases Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Peripheral Nervous System Diseases Signs and Symptoms Spinal Cord Diseases Spinal Cord Injuries Trauma, Nervous System Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Pierre Wertheimer Neurological Hospital, Bron, France

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Patients group:

Men and women between the ages of 18 and 65;
Have normal or corrected eyesight;
Have a spinal cord lesion resulting in total or partial loss of tactile and proprioceptive sensitivity and motor skills in the lower limbs.
have given their free and informed consent in writing, after having been informed orally and in writing of the study's progress.

Control group:

Men and women between 18 and 65 years of age
Have normal or corrected eyesight
Have given their free and informed written consent after having been informed orally and in writing of the course of the study.

Exclusion criteria

Patients Group:

People with a diagnosis of Eating Disorder
People with a diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder that can modify body representations
People who suffer from physiological discomfort when using gaming headsets or virtual reality
People under psychiatric care
Illiterate people
Pregnant women, women in labour or breastfeeding mothers
Persons deprived of their liberty by judicial or administrative decision
Adults under legal protection (guardianship, curatorship)
Persons not affiliated to a social security scheme or beneficiaries of a similar scheme

Control group:

People with an eating disorder diagnosis
People diagnosed with psychiatric disorders that can modify body representations
People who suffer from physiological discomfort when using gaming headsets or virtual reality
People under psychiatric care
Illiterate people
People with functional neurological motor disorders and/or partial or complete deficits and/or abnormal movements
People with sensitivity problems in the lower limbs
Pregnant women, women in labour or breastfeeding mothers
Persons deprived of their liberty by judicial or administrative decision
Persons admitted to a health or social establishment for purposes other than research
Adults under legal protection (guardianship, curatorship)
Persons not affiliated to a social security scheme or beneficiaries of a similar scheme

Treatment and study plan

Body representation

Other

All the participants (controls and patients) in the study will follow the same experimental procedure, which consists of a single virtual reality session involving the estimation of leg length and an object.

Primary outcomes

Différences in leg length estimation between controls and patients in the length representation test.

Time frame: From baseline up to a maximum of 2 weeks

We will measure the difference between the representation of the length of the lower limbs of controls and spinal cord injured patients. This difference will be assessed using the Point of Subjective Equality (defined as the size of the avatar's legs perceived by the participant as corresponding to the length of their legs) with a two-sample Mann Whitney test (two-tailed) (controls and patients)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Anne-Laure CHARLOIS

CONTACT

Jacques LUAUTE, Pr

CONTACT

[email protected]

(0)4.78.86.50.64 ext. +33

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Hospices Civils de Lyon

Other

Collaborators

Centre de Recherche de Neurosciences de Lyon

Registry information

Official study title

Investigating the Link Between Body Representation and Neuropathic Pain in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury

Acronym: REPTAILLE

Important dates

Study start: 2025
Primary completion: 2027
Study completion: 2027
First posted: Jan 27, 2025
Registry last updated: Jan 27, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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