Grant: Operating Grant: SPOR Innovative Clinical Trial Multi-Year Grant

More than 1 in 5 Canadians live with chronic pain, negatively impacting productivity and quality of life. People experiencing chronic pain often describe rhythmic pain fluctuations with an intensity that increases or decreases during the day. Circadian (24-hour) rhythms are regulated by "clock" genes known to regulate both the nervous and immune systems, contributing importantly to the development and maintenance of pain. Appropriate pain relief pharmacological therapies improve the patient's condition, but few treatment options exist. Some studies have confirmed the effect and adjunctive value of bright light therapy for chronic pain showing that there is a potential for light therapy to improve pain and reduce "pain flares" and associated symptoms. We will now work to narrow down the question and test whether a specific group of people responds better to this type of therapy based on their pain fluctuations profile. We identify pain profiles using psychosocial measures via questionnaires and e-diaries completed through an app and biological markers obtained via blood sample collection. We will pair light therapy with the use of an app that people can access to record their experiences and to access resources for their pain. Findings from this innovative clinical trial will inform healthcare decisions by providing evidence on the effectiveness, benefits, and harms of bright light therapy in this population, paired with the use of a digital tool. Furthermore, this will also inform on inter-individual differences in responding to light therapy and how certain individuals might respond better to specific therapies (like bright light therapy) acting on circadian alterations based on their biological and psychosocial profiles.