Personality traits, thinking skills, and pain sensitivity in people with headache
Official title: Personological Structure, Cognitive Functions and Central Sensitization in Headache: Obstacles and Resources in the Treatment of Chronic and Episodic Headache.
Run by IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo · NCT07268768 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will see how personality, cognitive function, and central sensitization relate to pain severity, symptom change, and treatment adherence over six months in adults with chronic or episodic headache.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 60 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 64 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Messina, Sicily) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | November 20, 2025 |
| Main results expected | November 20, 2028 |
| Study ends | November 20, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | December 8, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07268768 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults aged 18–60 with a diagnosis of chronic or episodic headache who attend the Headache Outpatient Clinic and can complete neuropsychological testing are the intended participants.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with severe psychiatric or neurological disorders, terminal oncological disease, those outside the 18–60 age range, or who cannot attend in-person clinic visits are unlikely to benefit from this observational protocol.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a prospective observational study with two assessments: baseline and a follow-up at about six months, conducted at the Headache Outpatient Clinic of IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo in Messina, Italy. Researchers will enroll about 64 adults (32 with chronic headache and 32 with episodic headache) and collect neuropsychological tests, measures of central sensitization and pain response, personality and psychopathology inventories, and treatment adherence data. The primary analysis models group-by-time interactions using repeated-measures approaches to compare neuropsychological and clinical trajectories between chronic and episodic headache groups. The project excludes people with severe psychiatric or terminal oncological conditions and focuses on patients able to attend both clinic visits.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help clinicians personalize pain management and adherence strategies by identifying cognitive and personality factors linked to worse outcomes or chronification.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has reported associations between central sensitization, psychological factors, and headache chronification, but integrated longitudinal neuropsychological data are limited and causal links remain uncertain.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 18 and 60 years; * Diagnosis of chronic or episodic headache; * Patients attending the Headache Outpatient Clinic. Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of severe psychiatric and neurological disorders; * Presence of oncological diseases in terminal stage
Where it's running
-
Irccs Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo
Messina, Sicily, Italy Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Anna Anselmo, Psychologist
- Email: anna.anselmo@irccsme.it
- Phone: 3489266543
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.