Purpose

This mechanistic clinical trial proposes to test whether a five-day course of mindfulness meditation training (MMT) and tDCS, and their combination, can enhance pain modulatory balance and pain-related brain function, reduce clinical pain, among African Americans and non-Hispanic whites with knee osteoarthritis (OA). This approach will provide evidence that targeting stress and pain-related brain function will reduce OA-related pain and ethnic group differences therein.

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 45 Years and 85 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Unilateral or bilateral symptomatic knee OA based on American College of Rheumatology Clinical criteria - Participant reports primary ethnic/race group as either African American or non-Hispanic white

Exclusion Criteria

  • Actively symptomatic systemic rheumatic disease/condition (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus), or fibromyalgia that results in pain outside the knee that is equal to or worse than the participant's knee pain. - A history of clinically significant surgery to the index knee. - Daily use of opioids. We will exclude patients using opioids daily as both continued use and temporary withdrawal from these medications this could affect pain perception and response to interventions. Other medications being used will be recorded and controlled in statistical analyses as needed. - Use of some centrally acting sodium channel blockers, calcium channel blockers and NMDA receptor antagonists, because some of these medications can block tDCS effects. Other medications can potentially influence response to tDCS (e.g. SSRIs, beta-blockers); therefore, consistent with recent recommendations (2), we will assess use of these medications and include them as covariates in our statistical models. - Uncontrolled hypertension (i.e. SBP/DBP of > 150/95) or unstable or activity limiting cardiovascular or peripheral arterial disease. These exclusions are in place primarily for safety reasons, because the cold pressor task represents a cardiovascular challenge. However, uncontrolled hypertension can also affect pain perception, which is another reason for excluding these individuals. - Neurological disease (e.g. Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy) or evidence of previous brain injury, including stroke and traumatic brain injury. - Serious psychiatric disorder requiring hospitalization within the past 12 months or characterized by active suicidal ideation. - Current substance use disorder or history of hospitalization for treatment of substance use disorder. - Diminished cognitive function that would interfere with understanding of study procedures.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Factorial Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Adults (half AA, half NHW) with knee OA will be randomized to one of four conditions created by crossing Real tDCS vs. Sham tDCS with Focused BAT vs. Standard BAT
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Masking Description
Participants will be block randomized with stratification for site, sex, and race in double blind fashion.

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
African American Group
African Americans with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
  • Behavioral: Focused Breathing and Attention Training (BAT)
    Participants will receive mindfulness-based mental training regimen to independently practice mindfulness meditation.
  • Behavioral: Standard Breathing and Attention Training (BAT)
    Standard BAT intervention will incorporate most of the general aspects of the Focused BAT intervention but without the specific instructions related to mindfully attending to the breath in a non-evaluative manner.
  • Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
    A Soterix 1x1 Clinical Trials Direct Current Stimulator will apply 20 minutes of 2.0mA direct current through two bicarbon rubber electrodes encased in saline-soaked sponges
    Other names:
    • Soterix 1x1 Clinical Trials Direct Current Stimulator
  • Device: Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
    Sham stimulation procedures will be identical except for the duration of stimulation. Participants will receive 30 seconds of 2 mA (30s ramp up/down) of stimulation at the beginning of the session.
Experimental
Non-Hispanic White Group
Non-Hispanic whites with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
  • Behavioral: Focused Breathing and Attention Training (BAT)
    Participants will receive mindfulness-based mental training regimen to independently practice mindfulness meditation.
  • Behavioral: Standard Breathing and Attention Training (BAT)
    Standard BAT intervention will incorporate most of the general aspects of the Focused BAT intervention but without the specific instructions related to mindfully attending to the breath in a non-evaluative manner.
  • Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
    A Soterix 1x1 Clinical Trials Direct Current Stimulator will apply 20 minutes of 2.0mA direct current through two bicarbon rubber electrodes encased in saline-soaked sponges
    Other names:
    • Soterix 1x1 Clinical Trials Direct Current Stimulator
  • Device: Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
    Sham stimulation procedures will be identical except for the duration of stimulation. Participants will receive 30 seconds of 2 mA (30s ramp up/down) of stimulation at the beginning of the session.

Recruiting Locations

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama 35294

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
University of Florida

Study Contact

Eric Weber
352-273-7802
eweber@dental.ufl.edu

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.