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Can brain scans unlock the mystery of unexplained facial pain?

NCT ID NCT07791004

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study investigates persistent idiopathic facial pain (PIFP), a chronic condition where people feel facial pain without any obvious nerve damage or dental cause. Researchers will compare 60 participants, including people with PIFP and healthy volunteers, using sensory tests and brain imaging. They will also test how a temporary nerve block in the painful area changes brain activity. The goal is to understand whether the problem lies in how the brain processes pain signals, which could improve future diagnosis and treatment.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Local anesthetic nerve block (used to temporarily numb the pain area during brain scans)
What this could lead to
If this study succeeds, it could clarify how the brain processes persistent facial pain, potentially guiding better diagnosis and treatments for this poorly understood condition.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study with a small number of participants, so findings may not apply to everyone. It does not test a treatment, so it will not directly change patient care.

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.

Participants

About 60 people

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

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Oct 2029

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.

Who is studied

Patients with PIFP will be recruited from the headache/facial pain outpatient clinic of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * Healthy controls: written informed consent. * PIFP cohort: written informed consent, and a diagnosis of PIFP according to the ICHD-3 and ICOP diagnostic criteria. Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindication to MR scanning * Anxiety disorders, including claustrophobia * Other somatic diseases, including other pain disorders * Other primary headache disorders and medication-overuse headache * Skin lesion , infection, or scarring at the stimulation sites preventing safe electrode placement * Healthy volunteers: any history of persistent pain or primary headache, including in first-degree relatives * History of psychiatric disease and/or addiction * Pregnancy or lactation * Any regular medication; in PIFP patients, occasional acute analgesic use (NSAID, fewer than 8 days per month) is permitted * Use of acute analgesic within 24 hours before the experiment

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

persistent idiopathic facial pain

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Persistent idiopathic facial pain (PIFP)

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

  • University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf

    Hamburg, 20246, Germany

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