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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01088867

Using Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Control (DNIC) to Predict Acupuncture Therapy Outcome: A Pilot Study

The investigators hypothesize that acupuncture modifies the DNIC efficiency and that DNIC can serve as a predictor to identify 'good responders' to acupuncture early in therapy.

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Key information

Conditions

Pain Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Washington

Seattle, Washington, 98195, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy women with a progesterone-coated intrauterine device (Mirena), and
  • Men greater than or equal to 18 years old.

Exclusion criteria

  • Acupuncture treatment in the previous six weeks, to discount any persisting effect of acupuncture.
  • Treatment of a pain condition with pain medication.
  • Regular use of benzodiazepines.
  • Skin diseases, such as scleroderma, psoriasis or eczema.
  • An adverse event due to acupuncture therapy.
  • Pregnant women.
  • Women without a progesterone-coated intrauterine device (Mirena).
  • Anyone older than 60 years of age, fatigued, with a pacemaker ICD, artificial joint, prolonged bleeding time/hemophilia, open wounds, or a known susceptibility to profound analgesia after acupuncture treatment.

Treatment and study plan

Acupuncture

Other

Electroacupuncture

Other names: Pantheon Electroacupuncture Device

Primary outcomes

  1. Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Control Efficiency

    Time frame: Week 0, 2, 4, 6, and 12 of acupuncture therapy

    The efficiency of diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC) is a measure of one's ability to inhibit pain perception. DNIC efficiency is assessed by a psychophysical test that involves a heat thermode as the "test stimulus" and a warm water bath as the "conditioning stimulus". The results of this test will be used as the primary outcome measure.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Washington

Other

Collaborators

  • Bastyr University

Registry information

Official study title

Using DNIC to Predict Acupuncture Therapy Outcome: A Pilot Study

Important dates

Study start
2010
Primary completion
2010
Study completion
2010
First posted
Mar 17, 2010
Registry last updated
Jun 19, 2013

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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