How Does the Brain Feel Pain? A Study for Children and Youth with Cerebral Palsy
Summary
Our team is studying how the brain responds to pain in children with cerebral palsy, using research physiotherapist-guided stretching and electroencephalography (EEG) to better understand pain-related brain signals and improve future pain assessment and care.
Researcher(s)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Tom Chau
Call to action
Is your child diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and experiences chronic pain? Consider participating in a research study using EEG to improve pain assessment and management.
Who can participate
Children and youth with Cerebral Palsy (CP) who:
- Aged 8-18
- Gross Motor Function Classification System level I-IV
- Do not have dyskinetic CP
- Experience chronic pain
- Are able to provide either verbal or non-verbal feedback about their level of pain during the activity
- Are able to undergo mild physical activity (such as with a physiotherapist)
- Are able to tolerate EEG cap placement for long periods (at least 40 minutes)
- Are at least 2 months post-botulinum toxin injection
- Do not have uncorrected vision or hearing impairments
- Do not have any condition preventing EEG cap placement
- Do not have an amputation of the limb at or above the knee
- Do not have open wounds that prevent adhesion of a limb tracking device to the skin
- Do not have any acute injuries that have caused pain within the past 6 weeks
- Are able to provide informed consent
Funding agency
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
What's involved
Your child will take part in a study session at the hospital where we will record their brain activity using an EEG cap, while they rest and during a research physiotherapist-administered stretching of their leg muscles. This will help us understand how their brain responds to increasingly uncomfortable sensations, including pain.
- The session will take about 90 minutes
- The EEG cap is non-invasive
- Our team will use this information to help improve ways to detect and manage pain in children with cerebral palsy
Deadline
Interested in participating
If you are interested in participating in this study or have additional questions, please contact the research student in charge of the study, Ariel Motsenyat at amotsenyat@hollandbloorview.ca.
Additional information
Version 4 (19/01/2026) REB# 0772
Identifying Neural Markers of Chronic Pain in Children with Cerebral Palsy Using Electroencephalography and Machine Learning
