Clinical Research Directory

During evoked pain fMRI, noxious pressure and heat stimuli will be applied in the two anatomical sites noted above. During fMRI data acquisition, a total of 5 pressure stimulations and 5 heat stimulations will be delivered. Both types of pain stimuli will be applied in a 36/17-sec off/on cycle. The off-condition will correspond to a baseline temperature of 35C and the on condition will match the subject-specific and site-specific 7/10 pressure and heat pain thresholds defined during QST procedures. VAS pain ratings associated with evoked pain stimulation will be collected at the end of each scan. The investigators will also explore the structural properties of the CNS by implementing high-resolution anatomical MRI (gray matter volumes) and diffusion tensor imaging (white matter pathway integrity). All CNS imaging will take approximately 50-60 minutes to complete

Musculoskeletal imaging of the affected lower extremity. Patients will be allowed to watch a movie during data acquisition. The following MRI procedures will be completed in order to identify soft tissue lesions in active or painful regions. Fast spin echo (FSE) T2 fat saturated, T1 weighted MRI, FSE proton density MRI, Short-TI Inversion Recovery (STIR), Diffusion weighted MRI (DW-MRI) and 3D Double Echo Steady State (DESS) will be collected. All musculoskeletal MRI will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Data will be collected 30 min after the intravenous administration of 18F-FDG with an expected average dose of approximately 200 MBq. CT data will be collected at a low-dose to minimize radiation exposure. Patients will be positioned supine head-first with arms on the side. The investigators project whole body data to be collected, but in some cases, the field of view may be limited to the patient's skull to below the knees. The data acquisition period is expected to last between 15-30 minutes and total radiation dose will be \~3-4 mSv.

Data will be collected 30 min after the intravenous administration of 18F-NaF with an expected average dose of approximately 200 MBq. CT data will be collected at a low-dose to minimize radiation exposure. Patients will be positioned supine head-first with arms on the side. The investigators project whole body data to be collected, but in some cases, the field of view may be limited to the patient's skull to below the knees. The data acquisition period is expected to last between 15-30 minutes and total radiation dose will be \~3-4 mSv.