Brain Mechanisms of Psychosocial Aspects of Acupuncture Therapy

Who can take part

• Male and Female healthy clinicians
• 25-60 years of age
• Ability to read and understand English; English can be a second language provided that the participant feels that he/she understand all the questions used in the assessment measures
• Have a clinical diagnosis of fibromyalgia and meet the Wolfe et al 2011 research criteria for fibromyalgia for at least one year
• Are on stable doses of medication for 30 days prior to entering the study and agree not to change medications or dosages during the trial
• 21 to 60 years of age
• Right-handed
• Ability to read and understand English; English can be a second language provided that the participant feels that he/she understand all the questions used in the assessment measures
• Male and female healthy clinicians
• 25-65 years of age (clinicians)
• Ability to read and understand English; English can be a second language provided that the participant feels that he/she understand all the questions used in the assessment measures
• Have a clinical diagnosis of fibromyalgia and meet the Wolfe et al 2011 research criteria for fibromyalgia for at least one year
• Are on stable doses of medication for 30 days prior to entering the study and agree not to change medications or dosages during the trial
• 21-65 years of age
• Ability to read and understand English; English can be a second language provided that the participant feels that he/she understand all the questions used in the assessment measures

Who cannot take part

• Current use of opioid analgesics or stimulant medications or the fatigue associated with sleep apnea or shift work (e.g., modafinil)
• Marijuana use greater than once daily and unwillingness to withhold from consumption 12 hours prior to scans or lab visits
• Unwillingness to withhold from consuming nicotine 4 hours prior to scans
• Presence of any illness or medication use that is judged to interfere with the trial. For example: psychiatric disorder according to the DSM-IV manual, medication that can influence cognition or emotional processing, i.e. sleep medication, antidepressants, anti-convulsants or opioids
• Presence of any contraindications to fMRI scanning. For example: cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, fear of closed spaces, pregnancy
• Comorbid acute pain condition
• Comorbid chronic pain condition that is rated by the subject as more painful than fibromyalgia
• Any psychiatric disorder involving a history of psychosis (e. g schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe personality disorders)
• History of anxiety disorders or significant anxiety symptoms interfering with fMRI procedures (e.g., panic)
• Psychiatric hospitalization in the past 6 months
• Any impairment, activity or situation that in the judgment of the Study Coordinator or Principal Investigator would prevent satisfactory completion of the study protocol
• Presence of any illness that is judged to interfere with the trial. For example: psychiatric disorder according to the DSM-IV manual
• Presence of any contraindications to fMRI scanning. For example: cardiac pacemaker, metal implants, fear of closed spaces, pregnancy
• Comorbid acute pain condition
• Comorbid chronic pain condition that is rated by the subject as more painful than fibromyalgia
• Any psychiatric disorder involving a history of psychosis (e. g schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe personality disorders)
• History of anxiety disorders or significant anxiety symptoms interfering with fMRI procedures (e.g., panic)
• Psychiatric hospitalization in the past 6 months
• Any impairment, activity or situation that in the judgment of the Study Coordinator or Principal Investigator would prevent satisfactory completion of the study protocol
• Any longer period of work experience involving pain treatment, pain rehabilitation etc. This is in order to exclude participants with biased expectations regarding different methods of analgesia
• Inability to respond accurately to the pain-relieving intervention in the behavioral part of the experiment, indicating a lack of response to the expectancy manipulation. If the healthy volunteer or clinician is not a responder to the behavioral expectancy induction he or she will be excluded
• Unwillingness to receive brief experimental pain
• Leg pain or health issues that may interfere with the study procedures
• Documented peripheral neuropathy
• Is an actual clinical patient of the clinician subject; Phase 2:
• Any longer period of work experience involving pain treatment, pain rehabilitation etc. This is in order to exclude participants with biased expectations regarding different methods of analgesia
• Inability to respond accurately to the pain-relieving intervention in the behavioral part of the experiment, indicating a lack of response to the expectancy manipulation. If the healthy volunteer or clinician is not a responder to the behavioral expectancy in-duction he or she will be excluded
• Unwillingness to receive brief experimental pain
• Leg pain or health issues that may interfere with the study procedures
• Documented peripheral neuropathy
• Is an actual clinical patient of the clinician subject

Other criteria

• Phase 1: