ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT05736172PNE/BDNFUpdated Nov 30, 2023

3h of PNE on BDNF and Pain Levels

An interventional study of Pain neuroscience grupal education in Chronic Pain and Musculoskeletal Pain, sponsored by Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Recruiting at 1 site in Spain. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-11-30.

Sponsored by Universidad Autonoma de Madrid · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by May 2024, 2 years 5 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started May 2023; still recruiting 3 years 5 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
66
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The promotion of neuroplasticity in conjunction with strategies for restructuring maladaptive cognitions that largely cause the activation of neural networks that contribute to the perpetuation of pain is therefore a fundamental neurophysiological principle for establishing a neurophysiological basis for pain.

perpetuation of pain, is therefore a fundamental neurophysiological principle for establishing physiotherapy therapeutic to establish therapeutic strategies from physiotherapy that contribute to improve the quality of life of patients with chronic pain. Based on the theory that neurotrophic factors such as BDNF play a fundamental role in the initiation and or maintenance of hyperexcitability of central neurons in pain, we consider that the levels of this neurotrophic factor, such as BDNF, may have an important role in the perpetuation of pain. That the levels of this neurotrophic factor may be modified by the application of a therapeutic education protocol, favoring therapeutic education protocol, favoring a reduction in pain intensity.

02

Conditions studied

  • Chronic Pain
  • Musculoskeletal Pain

Keywords

  • bdnf
  • pain neuroscience education
03

In context

Chronic Pain

3,227 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Pain; 729 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 66 is close to the median of 60 across 2,388 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Pain.

Browse Chronic Pain studies →

Lead sponsor

Universidad Autonoma de Madrid is the lead sponsor of 51 studies on the registry; 7 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • males and females aged 18 to 65 years with musculoskeletal pain for a minimum of 3 months
  • patients recruited by information pamphlets from the university clinic of the Rey Juan Carlos University, and CSEU La Salle
  • ability to perform all the clinical tests and to understand the study process, as well as to obtain .

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

-Systemic, neurological, oncological or inflammatory diseases; psychiatric pathologies, pregnancy, type II diabetes.

Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
66 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Pain group education

    In this group, the education session will be provided in a face-to-face group setting.

    Behavioral: Pain neuroscience grupal education

  • Active comparator
    Pain material education

    In this group the same education session will be provided in written form by means of a leaflet.

    Behavioral: Pain neuroscience grupal education

Interventions

  • BehavioralPain neuroscience grupal education

    The face to face education group will be carried out with a physiotherapist addressing various topics in the neurosciences of pain. In the active control group, information will only be provided in written form for the individual patient to read.

    Also known as: Pain neuroscience written education

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Pain Intensity

    Pain intensity assessed with the 100 mm Visual Analog Scale, in which the patient is asked about his or her pain level at that moment, with one side being "no pain" and the other extreme being "the worst pain imaginable".

    Time frame: three hours

  2. BDNF level

    BDNF level measured in blood serum by ELISA kit at baseline and at the end of the intervention.

    Time frame: three hours

Secondary outcomes

  1. Anxiety and Depression (HADS)

    Anxiety and depression will be assessed using the Spanish validated version of the HADS. The HADS is a selfadministered measure with 14 items in total that ask the client to reflect on their mood in the past week. Seven items assess depression, 5 of which are markers for anhedonia (an inability to experience pleasure), and 2 concern appearance and feelings of slowing down. Seven items assess anxiety, of which 2 assess autonomic anxiety (panic and butterflies in the stomach), and the remaining 5 assess tension and restlessness (Dunbar, Ford, Hunt, \& Der, 2000).

    Time frame: 3 hours

  2. Quality of life (EQ-5D)

    The EQ-5D is a generic HRQoL. HRQoL that can be used both in relatively healthy individuals (general population) and in groups of patients with different pathologies. The EQ-5D comprises five questions on mobility, self care, pain, usual activities, and psychological status with three possible answers for each item (1=no problem, 2=moderate problem, 3=severe problem; see appendix).7 8 A summary index with a maximum score of 1 can be derived from these five dimensions by conversion with a table of scores. The maximum score of 1 indicates the best health state, by contrast with the scores of individual questions, where higher scores indicate more severe or frequent problems. In addition, there is a visual analogue scale (VAS) to indicate the general health status with 100 indicating the best health status.

    Time frame: 3 hours

  3. Pain Catastrophism Scale (PCS)

    Pain Catastrophism will be measured with the Spanish version of the Pain Catastrophism Scale. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) is a 13-item self-report questionnaire considered to be the most frequent and extensively studied tool to assess pain catastrophizing for chronic pain. Good levels of content and construct validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PCS have been reported in studies examining different musculoskeletal disorders and different language versions. The PCS total score is computed by summing responses to all 13 items. PCS total scores range from 0 - 52. The PCS subscales are computed by summing the responses to the following items: Rumination: Sum of items 8, 9, 10, 11 Magnification: Sum of items 6, 7, 13 Helplessness: Sum of items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12

    Time frame: 3 hours

  4. Pain Severity Level (GCPS-R)

    Pain severity will be measured Chronic Pain Grading Scale Description: A measure of pain intensity and interference with normal daily activities. Format: 7 items Scoring: Scores for 6 of the items range from 0 (no pain) to 10 (pain as bad as it could be). The one remaining item requires filling in the number of days that pain has kept respondents from their typical activities. Scores classify respondents into one of 4 levels of pain intensity and activity interference: Low disability and low pain intensity Low disability and high p

    Time frame: 3 hours

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Silvia Di Bonaventura
    Madrid, 28008, Spain
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 30, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05736172
Lead sponsor
Universidad Autonoma de Madrid
Responsible party
Raúl Ferrer-Peña (Principal Investigator, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 21, 2023
Start date
May 15, 2023
Primary completion
May 30, 2024 (estimated)
Completion
Nov 30, 2024 (estimated)
Last update
Nov 30, 2023

Study contacts

Silvia Di Bonaventura
principal investigator · Universidad Rey Juan Carlos

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Interested in this study?

Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.

No contact was published for this record. The registry link below has the sponsor’s details.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion