Transcranial direct current stimulation for chronic, IBD associated abdominal pain and the relation of pain perception and the intestinal epithelial barrier
Project Summary
A Phase III clinical trial has been designed to evaluate the analgesic effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in IBD patients suffering from chronic abdominal pain. Functional MRI scans will be performed to investigate central nervous system alterations in these patients. Based on preliminary data, we propose a brain-gut interaction that will be further assessed by analyzing the impact of tDCS on the intestinal epithelial barrier. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, we have incorporated a mouse model of inflammation-associated visceral pain to study the effects of tDCS on the enteric nervous system, intestinal barrier integrity, neurotransmitter profiles, and perineural immune cells.
Selected project-relevant publications
Horn V, Cancino CA, Steinheuer LM, Obermayer B, Fritz K, Nguyen AL, Juhran KS, Plattner C, Bösel D, Oldenburg L, Burns M, Schulz AR, Saliutina M, Mantzivi E, Lissner D, Conrad T, Mashreghi MF, Zundler S, Sonnenberg E, Schumann M, Haag LM, Beule D, Flatz L; TRR241 IBDome Consortium; Trajanoski Z, D’Haens G, Weidinger C, Mei HE, Siegmund B, Thurley K, Hegazy AN.
Multimodal Profiling of Peripheral Blood Identifies Proliferating Circulating Effector CD4+ T Cells as Predictors for Response to Integrin α4β7-Blocking Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Gastroenterology. 2025 Feb;168(2):327-343. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.09.021.
Cineus R, Luo Y, Saliutina M, Manna S, Cancino CA, Velasco Blázquez L, Wang L, Bösel D, Abdelrahman A, Klementowicz JE, Scherl A, Hainbuch S, Bréart B, Kwon G, Konopka A, Guerra GM, von Coburg E, Gerbeth L, Roels J, Heinrich F, Müller N, Durek P, Deigendesch N, Ziai J, Hung J, Conrad T; TRR241 IBDome Consortium; Kühl AA, Wirtz S, Löhning M, Keir M, Diefenbach A, Mashreghi MF, Siegmund B, Schumann M, Romagnani C, West NR, Hegazy AN.
The IL-22-oncostatin M axis promotes intestinal inflammation and tumorigenesis.
Nat Immunol. 2025 Jun;26(6):837-853. doi: 10.1038/s41590-025-02149-z.
Wiese JJ, Manna S, Kühl AA, Fascì A, Elezkurtaj S, Sonnenberg E, Bubeck M, Atreya R, Becker C, Weixler B, Siegmund B, Patankar JV, Prüß MS, Schumann M.
Myenteric Plexus Immune Cell Infiltrations and Neurotransmitter Expression in Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.
J Crohns Colitis. 2024 Jan 27;18(1):121-133. doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjad122. PMID: 37565754; PMCID: PMC10821712.
Horn V, Cancino CA, Steinheuer LM, Obermayer B, Fritz K, Nguyen AL, Juhran KS, Plattner C, Bösel D, Oldenburg L, Burns M, Schulz AR, Saliutina M, Mantzivi E, Lissner D, Conrad T, Mashreghi MF, Zundler S, Sonnenberg E, Schumann M, Haag LM, Beule D, Flatz L; TRR241 IBDome Consortium; Trajanoski Z, D’Haens G, Weidinger C, Mei HE, Siegmund B, Thurley K, Hegazy AN.
Multimodal Profiling of Peripheral Blood Identifies Proliferating Circulating Effector CD4+ T Cells as Predictors for Response to Integrin α4β7-Blocking Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Gastroenterology. 2025 Feb;168(2):327-343. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2024.09.021. Epub 2024 Sep 28. PMID: 39343250.
Wittner L, Wagener L, Wiese JJ, Stolzer I, Krug SM, Naschberger E, Jackstadt R, Beyaert R, Atreya R, Kühl AA, Sturm G, Gonzalez-Acera M, Patankar JV, Becker C, Siegmund B, Trajanoski Z, Winner B, Neurath MF, Schumann M, Günther C.
Proteolytic Activity of the Paracaspase MALT1 Is Involved in Epithelial Restitution and Mucosal Healing.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Apr 17;24(8):7402. doi: 10.3390/ijms24087402. PMID: 37108564; PMCID: PMC10138456.
Friebel J, Schinnerling K, Weigt K, Heldt C, Fromm A, Bojarski C, Siegmund B, Epple HJ, Kikhney J, Moter A, Schneider T, Schulzke JD, Moos V, Schumann M.
Uptake of Tropheryma whipplei by Intestinal Epithelia.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Mar 24;24(7):6197. doi: 10.3390/ijms24076197. PMID: 37047170; PMCID: PMC10094206.
Branchi F, Wiese JJ, Heldt C, Manna S, Dony V, Loddenkemper C, Bojarski C, Siegmund B, Schneider T, Daum S, Hummel M, Moos V, Schumann M.
The combination of clinical parameters and immunophenotyping of intraepithelial lymphocytes allows to assess disease severity in refractory celiac disease.
Dig Liver Dis. 2022 Dec;54(12):1649-1656. doi: 10.1016/j.dld.2022.06.024. Epub 2022 Jul 15. PMID: 35850920.
Prüß MS, Bayer A, Bayer KE, Schumann M, Atreya R, Mekle R, Fiebach JB, Siegmund B, Neeb L.
Functional Brain Changes Due to Chronic Abdominal Pain in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Case-Control Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.
Clin Transl Gastroenterol. 2022 Feb 1;13(2):e00453. doi: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000453. PMID: 35060939; PMCID: PMC8865502.