Thank you for contacting us about our Imaging Pain and Alcohol (IPA) study. Dr. Jeff Boissoneault is the principal investigator on this project.
The general requirements to participate in this study are as follows:
● Participants must be 21 years of age or older and able to provide a driver's license or other state-issued ID
● Report regular drinking (i.e., ≥ 1 drink/week) over the past six months
● Meet Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) for myalgia (masticatory muscle pain), arthralgia (TMJ pain), or a combination of diagnoses
● Complete MRI scans
● Must not currently take any prescription medication that interferes with alcohol use
● Be able to read, speak, and comprehend English
If you do not meet these criteria, you will not be eligible for participation in the study.
The purpose of this research is to understand better how alcohol impacts chronic pain resulting from Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD). Using MRI technology, we want to see how the brain experiences and processes pain after a person with TMD drinks alcohol.
If you decide to participate, you will attend a screening session in the [Delaware Clinical Research Unit / TMD, Orofacial Pain, and Dental Sleep Medicine Clinic or Lillehei Clinical Research Unit] at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus. There, you will undergo a consent process and have your temporomandibular disorder (TMD) confirmed by Dr. Estephan Moana Filho (a practicing dentist and TMD specialist at the UMN school of densitry). A separate session visit will follow, where you will complete several questionnaires and will complete a short baseline imaging session in the MRI (< 15 minutes). Each screening session should last about 2 ~hours.
If you qualify for the study, you will be asked to come to the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) for two experimental sessions, at least 48 hours apart. You will need to fast for at least four hours and abstain from alcohol consumption for 24 hours before each laboratory session.
At each session, we will ask about current medications and will take tests indicating drug use, blood alcohol level, and pregnancy status (if applicable). A light breakfast will be offered, followed by a study beverage (either alcoholic or a placebo), where you will have five minutes to finish the beverage.
Once you are finished with your drink, you will be placed in an MRI machine to collect images. Some of these images will be collected while you rest, and others will be collected while painful heat via a thermode is applied to the bottom of your foot. You will be in the MRI for up to ~60 minutes. Once the MRI scans are completed, you will be provided with lunch. Once your breath alcohol concentration has reached a safe level, you will be released. You will have the option of being sent home via Uber Health rideshare.
Participating in this study will earn you up to $320. If you complete screening but do not qualify or elect not to participate in laboratory procedures, you will be paid $40 on a prepaid debit card for each screening session. If you qualify for the study, you will receive an additional $120 for each laboratory session completed.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns about the study. If you're interested in participating, we will be happy to schedule you for a session. If you are not interested in participating, or you don't believe that you qualify, please let us know, and we will delete your contact information.
Sincerely,
Minnesota Alcohol and Pain Research Lab