Neural Mechanisms of Light Driven Analgesia

The goal of this study will be to understand the biological mechanisms that are responsible to light-driven analgesia. Light presented to the retina has been shown to have pain relieving properties in pre-clinical and clinical studies. In this study the investigators will evaluate the functional connectivity between subcortical visual areas and non-image forming brain areas that are involved in pain sensation. The investigators will also evaluate how three colored light stimuli presented to the retina results in changes in whole brain evoked activation patterns in participants with chronic musculoskeletal pain and in healthy controls. The investigators will also assess while brain evoked activation patterns in response to a pressure pain stimulus in the presence of three light stimuli in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain and healthy controls.

NCT Number	NCT07245303
Lead Sponsor	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Collaborators: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Conditions	Musculoskeletal Pain, Fibromyalgia, Healthy Controls Group - Age and Sex-matched
Enrollment	60 participants
Start Date	2026-02-24
Primary Completion	2030-01-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2030-01-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-13