NCT05038553Active, not recruiting
Chronic Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis
CNS Pain Mechanisms in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis: Implications for the Acute to Chronic Pain Transition
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 28 May 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
The objective is to identify modifiable clinical factors and neurobiological pathways that lead to the development of chronic pain in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. Participants will undergo quantitative sensory testing, a type of testing that involves assessing response to well-defined, quantifiable painful stimuli, at 0, 3, and 12 months. A subset of participants will also undergo magnetic resonance imaging at 0 and 12 months to assess neuroimaging markers that have previously been shown to be involved in chronic pain.
- Status (registry)
- Active, not recruiting
- Study type
- Observational
- Enrollment
- 125 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 30 Aug 2021
- Start date
- 12 Oct 2021
- Primary completion date
- 28 Feb 2027
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern University
- Diseases
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- NCT number
- NCT05038553
What you commit to
- Study type: Observational
- Planned participants: 125
- From 12 Oct 2021 to the primary completion date, 28 Feb 2027
- 5 sites in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study design.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Other illness
- Peripheral vascular disease
Age
- Age ≤ 80 years old
Other
- Routine, scheduled opioid use
- Routine, scheduled prednisone dose \>10 mg or its equivalent
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Raynaud's phenomenon requiring treatment, manifested by claudication or ischemic rest pain
- Uncontrolled blood pressure
- Additional Inclusion Criteria for neuroimaging:
- Right-handed or ambidextrous
- Ability to lie on their back for the duration of the MRI scans
- Additional Exclusion Criteria for neuroimaging:
- Severe claustrophobia precluding MRI
- Unable to fit comfortably in the MRI scanner (usually only occurs if body mass index \>40 kg/m2)
- Pregnant
- Contraindications to MRI
Who the study is looking for
- Age ≥18 years
- Meet either the 1987 or 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria for RA
- Persistent joint symptoms ≤ 2 years
- Active inflammatory disease
- If taking opioids on an as needed (prn) basis, must be able to hold opioid for 12 hours before study procedures
- If taking NSAIDs, must be able to hold NSAIDS for 24 hours before study procedures
- If taking a central-acting pain medication, must be on a stable dose and able to stay on a stable dose throughout study
Age in the registry: 18 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (5)
Sites in registry order. Save your city in your profile to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Ann Arbor | United States | Unknown status |
| Johns Hopkins University Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Baltimore | United States | Unknown status |
| Northwestern University Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Chicago | United States | Unknown status |
| University of Colorado Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Denver | United States | Unknown status |
| Hospital for Special Surgery Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | New York | United States | Unknown status |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.