Chronic Pain and Brain Activity in Spinal Cord Injury

During the first study visit, subjects will receive a physical exam and an electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures brain activity. Research staff will put a cap on your head that has sensors which measure your brain activity. There is no risk of electrical shock. In addition to the sensors in the cap, two clips will be put on your ears. EEG activity will be collected for 20 minutes: you will have your eyes open for ten minutes, and then have your eyes closed for ten minutes. Additional study visits will follow where we will perform five different procedures (neurofeedback, self-hypnosis, two levels of transcranial direct current stimulation, and meditation). All subjects will receive all five procedures and each procedure will be conducted for 20 minutes. Self-Hypnosis Training: You will be given verbal suggestions from an audio recording (via headphones) for relaxation and changes in the way you think about pain. Meditation: You will be asked to focus on a single word ("one") for the entire session. Neurofeedback Training: During this procedure, three sensors will be placed on your scalp, and one on each earlobe. A small amount of electrode paste will be used when placing the sensor on your scalp. There is no risk of electrical shock. You will be able to see images on a computer screen that correspond to your brain waves. You will learn how to change your brainwaves by changing the images on the computer. Electric Stimulation (two different levels): This procedure consists of direct stimulation of the brain by a weak electrical current. The two procedure sessions will differ in the characteristics of the stimulation. Two electrodes will be placed on your scalp and secured by a rubber strap. The tDCS procedure is considered experimental and is not currently approved by the FDA but has been studied previously, at the same level of current, in spinal cord injury. Before and after each procedure we will complete a 10 minutes EEG assessment similar to what is described above. The final procedure session will end with a 20 minute assessment to determine how responsive you are to hypnosis. Each procedure visits may last up to three hours. There will be a total of 6 study visits over approximately 2 months.