Towards Individualized Deep Brain Stimulation Treatment of Chronic Neuropathic Pain
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2019-08-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Chronic neuropathic pain affects millions of individuals worldwide. It causes marked
reduction of health, utility and quality of life and represents a considerable economic
burden to society due to loss of work capacity and large treatment expenses. The proposed
project will explore new and rational methods for deep brain stimulation treatment of
patients with severe chronic neuropathic pain, resistant to conventional treatment. Deep
brain stimulation is a neurosurgical procedure in which a small stimulating electrode is
implanted into deep brain areas. Furthermore, we will utilize new positron emission
tomography neuroimaging and a new prototyped technology, called targeted transcranial
magnetic stimulation, to predict the outcome of deep brain stimulation and localize brain
regions with maximum symptom relief for each patient. This will optimize the selection of
patients for deep brain stimulation and provide a rational customized choice of brain target
for each patient, without surgical intervention. Novel techniques will be validated on
healthy volunteers and at the same time provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying
brain stimulation and pain perception. The project has great clinical impact, potential for
innovative development and industrial spin-out, facilitates exchange for Danish research
talents and senior researchers with Stanford University and California Pacific Medical
Research Institute in San Francisco, and unites world leading experts in pain research and
clinical treatment to achieve its goals.
Phase:
Phase 2
Details
Lead Sponsor:
University of Aarhus
Collaborators:
California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute Stanford University