Modulation Effect of tACS on Chronic Low Back Pain

Investigating the modulation effect of one-month Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) for low back pain

Inclusion criteria

• Volunteers 18-60 years of age
• Meet the Classification Criteria of the chronic LBP (having low back pain for more than 6 months)
• At least 4/10 clinical pain on the 0-10 LBP NRS
• At least a 10th grade English-reading level; English can be a second language provided that the patients understand all questions used in the assessment measures
• Meeting the MRI / MEG / EEG screening criteria

Exclusion criteria

• Specific causes of back pain (eg, cancer, fractures, spinal stenosis, infections)
• Complicated back problems (eg, prior back surgery, medicolegal issues)
• The intent to undergo surgery during the time of involvement in the study
• History of cardiac, respiratory, or nervous system disease that, in the investigator's judgment, precludes participation in the study because of a heightened potential for adverse outcome (for example: asthma or claustrophobia)
• Presence of any contraindications to MRI scanning (for example: cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, claustrophobia, pregnancy, cannot lie still in fMRI scanner)
• Concomitant autoimmune, chronic, inflammatory, neoplastic, and psychiatric diseases
• Pregnant or lactating
• Conditions making study participation difficult (e.g., paralysis, psychoses, or other severe psychological problems as per the judgment of a study investigator during Session 1)
• Active substance abuse disorders (based on subject self-report and drug test)
• Regular use of pain medication such as opioids, nonopioid analgesics, coanalgesics, corticosteroids, or immunomodulatory agents
• Any medical conditions, such as peripheral neuropathy, that could affect the results of QST
• Current use of psychotropic medication