Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32269109›Full record

Trial reportNeurology2020

Scrambler therapy improves pain in neuromyelitis optica: A randomized controlled trial.

Maureen A Mealy, Sharon L Kozachik, Lawrence J Cook, Lauren Totonis, Ruth Andrea Salazar, Jerilyn K Allen, Marie T Nolan, Thomas J Smith, Michael Levy

Registry-linked trialOpen access · bronzeAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Neurology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03452176 (Phase II, Randomized, Single Blind Sham Controlled Trial Investigating Scrambler Therapy for Neuropathic Pain Caused by Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 15 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03452176 nacompletednot on this map

Phase II, Randomized, Single Blind Sham Controlled Trial Investigating Scrambler Therapy for Neuropathic Pain Caused by Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

TypeinterventionalSponsorJohns Hopkins UniversityRan2018 to 2019Enrolled22ConditionsNeuromyelitis OpticaArmsScrambler, Scrambler Sham Control
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 34 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Scrambler therapy for treatment of poststroke pain.Annals of clinical and translational neurology · 2024
    Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Maureen A MealyFrom the Departments of Neurology (M.A.M., R.A.S., M.L.) and Oncology (T.J.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (M.A.M., S.L.K., L.T., J.K.A., M.T.N.), Baltimore, MD; Department of Pediatrics (L.J.C.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Department of Neurology (M.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. mmealy1@jhmi.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-8967-6338
Sharon L KozachikFrom the Departments of Neurology (M.A.M., R.A.S., M.L.) and Oncology (T.J.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (M.A.M., S.L.K., L.T., J.K.A., M.T.N.), Baltimore, MD; Department of Pediatrics (L.J.C.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Department of Neurology (M.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.ORCID 0000-0002-4070-8009
Lawrence J CookFrom the Departments of Neurology (M.A.M., R.A.S., M.L.) and Oncology (T.J.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (M.A.M., S.L.K., L.T., J.K.A., M.T.N.), Baltimore, MD; Department of Pediatrics (L.J.C.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Department of Neurology (M.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Lauren TotonisFrom the Departments of Neurology (M.A.M., R.A.S., M.L.) and Oncology (T.J.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (M.A.M., S.L.K., L.T., J.K.A., M.T.N.), Baltimore, MD; Department of Pediatrics (L.J.C.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Department of Neurology (M.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Ruth Andrea SalazarFrom the Departments of Neurology (M.A.M., R.A.S., M.L.) and Oncology (T.J.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (M.A.M., S.L.K., L.T., J.K.A., M.T.N.), Baltimore, MD; Department of Pediatrics (L.J.C.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Department of Neurology (M.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Jerilyn K AllenFrom the Departments of Neurology (M.A.M., R.A.S., M.L.) and Oncology (T.J.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (M.A.M., S.L.K., L.T., J.K.A., M.T.N.), Baltimore, MD; Department of Pediatrics (L.J.C.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Department of Neurology (M.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Marie T NolanFrom the Departments of Neurology (M.A.M., R.A.S., M.L.) and Oncology (T.J.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (M.A.M., S.L.K., L.T., J.K.A., M.T.N.), Baltimore, MD; Department of Pediatrics (L.J.C.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Department of Neurology (M.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Thomas J SmithFrom the Departments of Neurology (M.A.M., R.A.S., M.L.) and Oncology (T.J.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (M.A.M., S.L.K., L.T., J.K.A., M.T.N.), Baltimore, MD; Department of Pediatrics (L.J.C.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Department of Neurology (M.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Michael LevyFrom the Departments of Neurology (M.A.M., R.A.S., M.L.) and Oncology (T.J.S.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (M.A.M., S.L.K., L.T., J.K.A., M.T.N.), Baltimore, MD; Department of Pediatrics (L.J.C.), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; and Department of Neurology (M.L.), Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Johns Hopkins University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo determine whether Scrambler therapy is an effective, acceptable, and feasible treatment of persistent central neuropathic pain in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and to explore the effect of Scrambler therapy on co-occurring symptoms.

methodsWe conducted a randomized single-blind, sham-controlled trial in patients with NMOSD who have central neuropathic pain using Scrambler therapy for 10 consecutive weekdays. Pain severity, pain interference, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance were assessed at baseline, at the end of treatment, and at the 30- and 60-day follow-up.

resultsTwenty-two patients (11 per arm) were enrolled in and completed this trial. The median baseline numeric rating scale (NRS) pain score decreased from 5.0 to 1.5 after 10 days of treatment with Scrambler therapy, whereas the median NRS score did not significantly decrease in the sham arm. Depression was also reduced in the treatment arm, and anxiety was decreased in a subset of patients who responded to treatment. These symptoms were not affected in the sham arm. The safety profiles were similar between groups.

conclusionsScrambler therapy is an effective, feasible, and safe intervention for central neuropathic pain in patients with NMOSD. Decreasing pain with Scrambler therapy may additionally improve depression and anxiety. CLINICALTRIALSGOV IDENTIFIER: NCT03452176. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class II evidence that Scrambler therapy significantly reduces pain in patients with NMOSD and persistent central neuropathic pain.

Indexed as

AdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeuralgiaNeuromyelitis OpticaPain ManagementSingle-Blind MethodTranscutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

Identifiers

PMID32269109
PMCPMC7274926
OpenAlexW3015535807

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.