Motor Cortical Neuromodulation in Women With Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome: Reducing Pain by Improving Brain and Muscle Activity
University of Southern California
Summary
Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a common, chronic, and debilitating condition in women. Preliminary evidence suggests that IC/BPS pain can be reduced applying non-invasive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to areas of the brain that regulate pelvic floor muscle activity. However, prior studies have examined rTMS in a very limited sample and have not examined changes in brain or pelvic floor muscle activity to determine the mechanism of rTMS for IC/BPS. This study is designed to directly address these limitations.
Description
Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) is a common, chronic, and debilitating condition in women. The underlying cause of IC/BPS remains unknown. We recently published the first functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study comparing brain function in women with IC/BPS to healthy women. We found that women with IC/BPS have altered resting activity in supplementary motor area (SMA). Specifically, these changes appear in a part of SMA that we have shown to control pelvic floor muscle activity. We call this part of SMA "pelvic-SMA". Our results provide the first potential expla…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- Female
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Be at least 18 years old. 2. Be female. 3. Have a diagnosis of IC/BPS by the referring physician, with urologic symptoms present a majority of the time during the most recent 3 months 4. Screen within standard limits for pelvic pain Exclusion Criteria: 1. Symptomatic urethral stricture 2. On-going neurological conditions affecting the bladder or bowel 3. Active auto-immune or infectious disorders 4. History of cystitis caused by tuberculosis or radiation or chemotherapies 5. History of non-dermatologic cancer 6. Current major psychiatric disorders 7. Severe cardiac, p…
Interventions
- DeviceRepetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)
Non-invasive magnetic stimulation of the brain
- DeviceSham Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Sham-rTMS)
Device that appears identical to the active rTMS device, but does not produce any magnetic field and does not stimulate the brain.
Location
- University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California