# CRCNS: Model-Based Characterization of spinal cord stimulation for pain

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2022 · $309,092

## Abstract

Program Director/Principal Investigator (Last, First, Middle}: Lempka, Scott F
PROJECT SUMMARY (See instructions}:
Chronic pain is a major health problem in the United States and costs the nation upwards of $635 billion a
year- more than cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined. Due to its debilitating nature and
widespread impact, chronic pain is complex and challenging to treat. Unfortunately, conventional
treatments have limited effectiveness for many people with severe chronic pain. Opioid analgesics are
frequently prescribed despite the lack of evidence supporting their long-term use to treat chronic pain, and
the associated opioid epidemic threatening the United States. Nonpharmacologic approaches, such as
complementary and neurostimulation therapies, may offer better alternatives for chronic pain management.
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is one type of neurostimulation therapy that can be considered for patients
who are refractory to other treatment options. However, the outcomes of SCS and other neurostimulation
therapies remain mixed. These variable outcomes can be contributed to a potential "placebo" effect and a
poor understanding of their mechanisms of action. The goal of this project is to identify the anti-nociceptive
effects of SCS by conducting a placebo-controlled study in patients undergoing SCS for chronic pain
management. Spinal and supraspinal pain processing will be assessed with outcome measures related to
several aspects of pain and quantitative sensory testing of pain sensitivity. These measurements will be
combined with patient-specific computational models of SCS that will include: 1) electric-field models to
estimate the direct neural response to SCS and 2) spinal cord circuit models to estimate the effects of SCS
on pain processing. Therefore, this project will implement a systematic, well-controlled, patient-specific
approach to investigate segmental spinal and central pain-processing mechanisms and the placebo effect
associated with SCS. This approach is necessary to improve our understanding of chronic pain and how to
treat it. II will apply cutting-edge computational modeling techniques to answer critical scientific questions
within a clinical setting. The results of this project will improve scientific understanding of neurostimulation
for chronic pain, help optimize and individualize current technologies, and innovate future therapies that
improve clinical outcomes.
RELEVANCE (See instructions):
Neurostimulalion therapies, such as spinal cord stimulation, can provide nonpharmacologic treatment
options to the millions of Americans suffering from pain. However, these neurostimulation therapies can fail
to provide adequate pain relief in a large number of people. Therefore, this project will combine detailed
computational models with measures of pain modulation in patients to investigate therapeutic mechanisms
of neurostimulation and provide knowledge necessary to improve its effectiveness for pain management.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10472513
- **Project number:** 5R01AT010817-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** SCOTT F LEMPKA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $309,092
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10472513

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10472513, CRCNS: Model-Based Characterization of spinal cord stimulation for pain (5R01AT010817-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10472513. Licensed CC0.

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