Recruiting

Capsaicin Cream

Sponsor:

Universite de Picardie Jules Verne

Code:

NCT07251387

Conditions

Pain

Nocebo Effect

Pain Anticipation

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 35

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Pain expectation conditioning

Gait assesment

Study Details

Brief summary:

This study investigates how the anticipation of pain affects muscle synergies. One group will be recruited who will first experience actual pain from capsaicin cream and are then presented with a harmless cream deceptively labeled as capsaicin. The changes in muscle synergies will be measured during walking tasks.

Conditions

Pain

Nocebo Effect

Pain Anticipation

Study ID

NCT07251387

Start date

Jan 1, 2026

Status verified date

Jun, 2026

Completion date

Oct 1, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Oct 1, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 35

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18-35 years old
  • Healthy participant with no self-reported diagnosed neurological, musculoskeletal, or cardiovascular disorders
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) < 30
  • Ability to walk unaided for at least 10 minutes without major physical limitations

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of pain at the time of testing
  • Self-reported diagnosed condition affecting mobility
  • Known allergy to any component of the study cream
  • Allergy to EMG electrode adhesives
  • Inability to stand unassisted for more than 1 minute
  • Inability to walk/run at the required speed and distance
  • Weight exceeding 150 kg (due to treadmill limitations)
  • Recent intake (prior intervention) of:
  • Analgesics (within 6 hours)
  • Cigarettes (within 6 hours)
  • Caffeine (within 2 hours)
  • Skin lesions at the cream application site
  • Pregnancy
  • Failure to understand instructions
  • Daytime pain reported by participant on day of experimentation

Study Design

Enrollment

12 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Prior Experience Group

Participants in this arm have experienced capsaicin cream before and will be given a neutral cream. They will be told that the cream contains capsaicin and will cause pain.

Interventions

Pain expectation conditioning

Participants receive a neutral cream with no real harmful effects with verbal and behavioral suggestions that it may cause localized pain. Researchers wear gloves during application and emphasize the potential discomfort, stating effects may intensify with movement.

Gait assesment

Gait will be assessed both before and after cream application. Each assessment will consist of walking on a treadmill at varying speeds while physiological data (EMG) is recorded. Identical questionnaires (VAS, TAMPA, and PCS) will be administered immediately following the first gait assessment.

Primary outcome measure

  • Distribution of muscle synergies derived by non-negative matrix factorization [ Time Frame: Before intervention, after intervention (10 minutes after cream application) ]
  • Changes in Muscle Synergy Composition derived by non-negative matrix factorization. [ Time Frame: Before intervention, after intervention (10 minutes after cream application) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Jennifer Burgos-Tirado, M.Sc.A., Ing.

+33 7 71 27 11 35jennifer.burgos.tirado@u-picardie.fr

Locations

Centre de Recherche sur le Vieillissement

Recruiting

Sherbrooke, Canada

Contacts

Guillaume Léonard, PhD

819-829-7131guillaume.leonard2@usherbrooke.ca

More Information

Sponsor

Universite de Picardie Jules Verne

Last update posted

Jun 11, 2026

Last verified

Jun, 2026

Keywords

  • Nocebo effect
  • Pain anticipation
  • Pain
  • Gait
  • Motricity
  • Muscle synergies

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Universite de Picardie Jules Verne on 2026-06-11.