Do you have fibromyalgia?
The Duke Human Affect and Pain Neuroimaging Lab is currently conducting a nationally-funded study. We want to understand why women with fibromyalgia have symptoms of widespread pain throughout the body.
You Can Help Us Understand Fibromyalgia
We need women with chronic pain and healthy pain-free women for a study.
Study visits are at NO COST to you, and you will be compensated for your participation.
Novel Approach
This the first study to look at both brain and spine activity over time to understand fibromyalgia. By studying how brain and spine activity change over time, we will be able to gain important information about what causes chronic pain.
We are also seeking to understand the differences between individuals who have fibromyalgia who are taking opioid medications and those who are not. By understanding these differences we hope inform precision medicine of the future for fibromyalgia – tailored to the specific needs of individual patients.
Brain Imaging
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a common way to study nervous system activity in the body. Study participants will lie on a bed inside of an MRI scanner and pictures will be taken of their brain and spinal cord while resting or playing a simple video game.
Questionnaires
A set of questions about your health and feelings will be filled out at home and during the study visits. By using the information collected from the questions, the study team can learn more about the MRI findings, for example by seeing how certain answers to the questions are related to activity in certain brain regions.
Sensory Tests
Pressure, heat, and cold tests on the skin will happen after the MRI scans. The tests will be simple like placing your hand into cold water and telling the study team how much it hurts.
Together in Research
Our research team is comprised of experts in the field of Pain Medicine, Neuroscience, Psychology, Behavioral Sciences, and Psychiatry. We work together to better understand why people with fibromyalgia have widespread body pain. It is our hope that our research will give us new knowledge to design new and better treatments for chronic pain.
Study Hours
We will schedule the study visits at the best times for you.
Where Are We?
Our lab is on the Duke Medical Campus.
Study visits occur at a single location in the Duke Medical Center. We will meet you inside the entrance to the Duke University Hospital and walk with you to the MRI Center nearby.
Duke Human Affect and Pain Lab
Principal Investigator: Katherine Martucci, PhD
Contact our research team at: (919) 684-2758
ChronicPainResearch@duke.edu
