Mapping Stress and Pain Interactions (G072323N)
Key facts
- Where
- Ghent, BelgiumSee 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 55 years old?
Source: NCT06892977, who can take part
Where in Belgium
- Ghent University, Department of Rehabilitation SciencesGhent, BelgiumNo longer taking part
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?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- University Ghent
- Trial code
- NCT06892977
- Record updated
- 21 September 2026
- Original description
The over-arching goal of this observational (case-control, with a cross-sectional and longitudinal arm) study is to comprehensively map stress system (dys)function (including reactivity and recovery) in people with primary musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and a pain-free control group.Read full original descriptionShow less
STRAIN (STRessinpAIN): A Comprehensive Mapping of Stress System Interactions With Pain and Their Contribution to Extent and Chronification of Musculoskeletal Pain
The over-arching goal of this observational (case-control, with a cross-sectional and longitudinal arm) study is to comprehensively map stress system (dys)function (including reactivity and recovery) in people with primary musculoskeletal (MSK) pain and a pain-free control group.
* The primary objective is to characterize stress systems functioning and their relation to pain in individuals with subacute versus chronic, and localized versus widespread MSK pain, and compare to pain-free controls. * The secondary objective is to define the contribution of stress system functioning to trajectories of MSK pain, including pain chronification or recovery from pain.
Researchers will compare primary musculoskeletal pain groups with pain-free controls. Participants will:
* Fill out online questionnaires. * Provide a sample of hair and saliva to assess chronic and acute stress hormone levels, respectively. Saliva samples will be collected both in the lab and at home. * Be subject to psychophysiological monitoring. * Partake in quantitative sensory testing measuring pain thresholds, tolerances and pain modulation of pressure and heat. These tests will be repeated twice: before and after an acute-stress induction task. * Partake in a series of stress-inducting tasks. * Be subject to MRI-scans of the brain, including structural and functional MR acquisitions (e.g., during rest and during pain inductions).
Participants will be invited for a second session of the same assessments six months later to observe possible connection between pain trajectory and stress system (dys)function.
Inclusion: Participants aged 18 to 55 years with a BMI between 17 and 35 kg/m², who are proficient in the Dutch language and do not meet the exclusion criteria listed below.
Exclusion: Use of hormone replacement therapy; Use of medication that is not stable for at least 1 month prior to the test session; Regular drug use (≥1 time per week); Current or history of severe psychiatric, neurological (related to the brain, spinal cord, or nerves), endocrine (related to the hormonal system), or cardiovascular (related to the heart and blood vessels) conditions (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, diabetes, etc.); History of spinal surgery, spinal trauma, severe spinal deformities, or neurogenic back pain; Having a severe communicative or cognitive disorder; Body weight >150 kg (maximum weight for the MRI scanner); Postmenopausal individuals; Contraindications for MRI (such as claustrophobia, implanted electronic devices like a pacemaker, metal splinters in the body, etc.); Currently pregnant or have been pregnant in the past year; Breastfeeding.