Testing Burst and Tonic Brain Stimulation for Pain After Stroke
Tests thalamus brain stimulation timing to ease long-term nerve pain in adults.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Thalamic-Burst-DBS for Neuropathic Pain
Key facts
- Where
- Bern, SwitzerlandSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 75 years old?
Source: NCT05204472, who can take part
Where in Switzerland
- Dep. of Neurosurgery, Bern University HospitalBern, SwitzerlandTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern
- Trial code
- NCT05204472
- Record updated
- 6 May 2026
- Original description
Central post-stroke pain (CPSP) is a neuropathic pain syndrome and one of the major sequelae after ischemic or hemorrhagic cerebral stroke.Read full original descriptionShow less
Burst-Deep Brain Stimulation of the Thalamus for Neuropathic Facial Pain and Central Poststroke Pain: a Prospective, Randomized Cross-over Feasibility Trial
Central post-stroke pain (CPSP) is a neuropathic pain syndrome and one of the major sequelae after ischemic or hemorrhagic cerebral stroke.
Recently, a modified stimulation paradigm has been developed in the field of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for a variety of neuropathic pain disorders. To date, this stimulation paradigm has not yet been evaluated systematically for deep brain stimulation to treat neuropathic pain disorders.
The purpose of this clinical investigation is to investigate if Burst-DBS of the thalamus is more effective compared to classical continuous low-frequency stimulation DBS to reduce the subjective pain intensity in patients with chronic neuropathic pain after stroke or in patients with neuropathic facial pain.
Inclusion: Signed informed consent; Age 18-75 years; Patients suffering from chronic (duration > 12 months) unilateral neuropathic pain caused by an ischemic or haemorrhagic cerebral stroke or; Patients suffering from chronic (duration > 12 months) unilateral neuropathic facial pain due to one of the following causes:; post-herpes-zoster-neuralgia,; posttraumatic, neuropathic facial pain,; atypical trigeminal neuralgia after surgical intervention; Severe baseline pain intensity (VAS score > 6/10) considered as resistant to medication specific to neuropathic pain at sufficient doses and durations (including at least antiepileptics and antidepressants).
Exclusion: Contra-indication to surgery, anesthesia, or MRI; Participation in another interventional clinical trial within 30 days prior to this trial or during the trial; Previous enrollment into the current trial; Patients who are planned to undergo diathermy, electroshock therapy or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS); DSMIV axis I or II psychiatric disorder; Relevant psychosocial risk factors (any of): history of other chronic pain syndrome, pain catastrophizing, substance abuse, secondary gain; Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, psychological disorders, dementia. etc. of the subject; Patients with implanted electric devices (i.e. cardiac defibrillator, pacemaker); Patients who are at poor surgical risk (i.e. patients with multiple severe illnesses or active general infections); Significant cognitive impairment (total MOCA score < 1.5 standard deviations from age- and education adapted mean values),; Known or suspected non-compliance or inability to operate the DBS system; Woman with childbearing potential; Enrolment of the investigator's family members, employees, and other dependent persons.