PI Name: Andre Machado
Institution: Cleveland Clinic

Abstract:

This project aims at evaluating the effects of neuromodulation of the ventral anterior limb of the internal capsule/ventral striatal area on the affective sphere of central pain syndromes. In our approach, we propose two new hypotheses:

a) That modulation of the affective sphere of pain will relieve pain related disability, with or without reduction of pain intensity as reported by VAS (visual analog scale) pain scores.

b) That deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) will modulate the affective sphere of chronic pain via networks involved in the regulation of behavior and emotion.