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A gentle current to the brain may curb pain avoidance

NCT ID NCT07791966

Symptom relief Sponsor: The Cleveland Clinic Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 28, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026

Summary

This trial tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can reduce pain avoidance behavior in people with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Participants receive either real tACS at a frequency linked to pain avoidance or a sham version, then perform a pain avoidance task while brain activity is measured. The goal is to see if tACS changes how patients confront pain and alters related brain signals.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), a non-invasive brain stimulation device
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to help chronic pain patients re-engage in valued activities by reducing fear-driven avoidance.
What could go wrong
This is a small early-stage trial with 30 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The stimulation is weak and may not change behavior or brain signals as hoped.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Oct 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older * Diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) Type I or II, based on Budapest criteria * 6 months or more of medically refractory severe pain * Average daily pain for past 30 days \>= 5 on 0-10 scale * Presence of allodynia and/or hyperalgesia * Lower extremity CRPS: bilateral or unilateral pain * Not concurrently treated with neurostimulation therapies such as spinal cord stimulators (SCS) * Absence of co-occurring severe psychiatric disorders (PHQ-9\<19 and/or GAD-7\<14) Exclusion Criteria: * Age under 18 years, pregnant women of any age * Any co-occurring pain diagnosis that might confound with allodynia/hyperalgesia resulting from CRPS reflecting a malfunction in sensory processing within the CNS. * Less than six months of medically refractory pain * Average daily pain for past 30 days \<5 on 0-10 scale * Absence of allodynia and/or hyperalgesia * Concurrent neurostimulation therapies such as SCS * Severe disorders or conditions (e.g., cardiovascular, liver issues), terminal illness * PHQ-9\>19 and/or GAD-7\>14 (severe depression/anxiety)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

complex regional pain syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Cleveland Clinic

    RECRUITING

    Cleveland, Ohio, 44195, United States

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