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ECTCoEffECTNCT03490149

Prediction of the Cognitive Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy Via Machine Learning and Neuroimaging

An observational study of ECT and Depression, run by University Hospital, Bonn at 1 site in Germany.

Unknown status

Status not confirmed. The sponsor has not verified this record for over two years, so it may be out of date.

Official record
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Trial summary

The study aims to use machine learning to predict the occurrence of episodic and autobiographical memory deficits as well as treatment response following a course of electroconvulsive therapy. Additionally, the neurophysiological correlates of the cognitive effects after a course of ECT will be investigated. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 85 years
Conditions the study is for
ECT, Depression, Cognitive Impairment
What is being tested?
Electroconvulsive Therapy and Medication - Treatment as usual
Type of treatment
Medical device
How many people
180 participants
Where
1 siteGermany
Study dates
2 Jan 2018to 1 Dec 2022
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Inpatients at the psychiatric hospital of the University Hospital Bonn. The patients diagnosis of major depressive disorder will be verified via the structured clinical interview for DSM-5. ECT protocol in line with international standards administered by a staff psychiatrist. Additionally, a medication-only and a healthy control sample are included in the study.

Who may be able to join

  • The duration of the current depressive episode is at least four weeks
  • The duration of the current depressive episode is less than five years
  • Inpatients of the psychiatric clinic of the University Hospital Bonn and eligible for ECT because of major depressive disorder or major depressive episode in bipolar disorder (according to DSM-5 criteria)
  • Score on HDRS 28 ≥ 20
  • Ability to understand the purpose of and procedures required for the study and willingness to consent to participation
  • Meeting of standard medical prerequisites for ECT (judged by staff psychiatrist)
  • Ability to speak and understand the german language

Who cannot join

  • No lifetime occurence of a personality disorder
  • Current (or within the last year) posttraumatic stress disorder
  • Schizophrenia or any other psychotic disorder except for psychotic depression
  • Severe somatic or neurological condition (e.g. stroke)
  • Head trauma resulting in unconsciousness for more than 5 minutes
  • Pregnancy
Show all 11Show fewer
  • Maintenance ECT or ECT received during the last 6 month
  • Subjects who do not consent to be informed of incidental findings that could have healthcare implications
  • Drug or alcohol dependence (<6 month before ECT)
  • Is currently enrolled in a study with an investigational study drug
  • Has any condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would compromise the wellbeing of the subject or the study or prevent the subject from meeting or performing study requirements

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Maximilian Kiebs, M.Sc. contact

0049228287 ext. 19710

m.kiebs@ukbonn.de

Germany1 site, 1 recruiting
  • Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie

    Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, 53105

    Maximilian Kiebs, M.Sc., 0228287 ext. 19710, m.kiebs@ukbonn.de

    Recruiting

Other trials in Germany

About this study

The study aims to use machine learning to predict the occurrence of episodic and autobiographical memory deficits as well as treatment response following a course of electroconvulsive therapy. Additionally, the neurophysiological correlates of the cognitive effects after a course of ECT will be investigated.

Therefore, structural, resting-state and diffusion tensor images will be collected within one week before the first and after the last ECT treatment from severely depressed patients. Standard measures of cognitive function and specifically episodic as well as autobiographical memory will also be collected longitudinally and used for prediction. The study consists of 60 ECT receiving inpatients suffering from major unipolar or bipolar depression, 60 medication-only controls and 60 healthy controls.

Read the detailed description

Due to the immense disease burden of major depression and unsatisfactory response to standard pharmacological and psychological treatments, the need for treatment alternatives is evident. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains to be the most efficacious treatment known for treatment-resistant depression. However, although many studies show response rates above 70%, ECT can be considered vastly underused. Reasons contributing to this phenomenon may include stigma, regulatory restrictions, limited medical training, safety and side-effect concerns, or reluctance among professionals to recommend ECT. Most of these reasons have already been refuted or put into perspective by psychological and neuroscientific studies (e.g. ECT causes brain lesions) and most cognitive deficits related to the ECT course seem to fade after several weeks of discontinuation.

Still, in terms of the tolerability, memory disturbances remain the most problematic effect of ECT. Besides subjective reports from patients after a course of ECT, experimental studies have also found evidence of episodic and autobiographical memory impiarment attributable to ECT. The origins of these effects are still largely unknown and remain a goal for further research.

It has now been shown that structural T1 weighted MR-images can be used to predict the response to a course of ECT via machine learning. Therefore, this study aims to use machine learning to predict the occurrence of episodic and specifically autobiographical memory deficits arising within a course of electroconvulsive therapy based on MR-images collected within one week before the first ECT treatment from severely depressed patients. Additionally, the neurophysiological correlates of the cognitive effects modulated by a course of ECT will be investigated longitudinally through the use of structural, resting-state and diffusion tensor images. The study consists of 60 ECT receiving inpatients suffering from major unipolar or bipolar depression.

If successful, this line of research should lead to a better tolerability of ECT by aiding in the complex decision making process involved in prescribing ECT as well as the parameter setting within a treatment course (e.g. uni- vs. bilateral).

Being tested
Electroconvulsive Therapy, Medication - Treatment as usual
Keywords
ECT, Electroconvulsive Therapy, Depression, Memory, Memory Impairment
Medical subject headings
Depression, Cognitive Dysfunction, Memory Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Electroconvulsive TherapyDevice

    Series of electroconvulsive therapy for major depressive disorder

  • Medication - Treatment as usualDrug

    Medication only sample - Treatment as usual

Study groups in NCT03490149
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ECTNot described
Receives: Device: Electroconvulsive Therapy
Medication - Treatment as usualNot described
Receives: Drug: Medication - Treatment as usual
Healthy controlsNot described

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in auditory verbal learning performance

    Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT)

    Measured: Within one week before first and one week after last ECT

  2. Change in autobiographical memory performance

    Autobiographical Memory Interview (AMI-SF)

    Measured: Within one week before first and one week after last ECT

  3. Change in subjective memory impairment

    Qualitative Interview

    Measured: Within one week before first and one week after last ECT

  4. Occurence of retrograde amnesia

    Measured: Within the first week after last ECT

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Change in depression severity as measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS 28).

    Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS 28). Remission defined as Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-28 score of less than or equal to 9 after the ECT course. Response defined as min. -50% change in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-28 score after ECT.

    Measured: One week before first and one week after last ECT

  2. Change in depression severity as measured by the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)

    Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Remission defined as Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale score of less than or equal to 7 after the ECT course. Response defined as min. -50% change in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale score after ECT.

    Measured: One week before first and one week after last ECT

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 Apr 2018
  2. Study start2 Jan 2018
  3. Primary completion1 Dec 2021
  4. Study completion1 Dec 2022 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
180 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03490149
Sponsor's protocol ID
CoEffECT - Study
Acronym
CoEffECT
Status last verified
May 2022
First submitted
29 Mar 2018
Last updated
25 May 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Whiteford HA, Degenhardt L, Rehm J, Baxter AJ, Ferrari AJ, Erskine HE, Charlson FJ, Norman RE, Flaxman AD, Johns N, Burstein R, Murray CJ, Vos T. Global burden of disease attributable to mental and substance use disorders: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet. 2013 Nov 9;382(9904):1575-86. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61611-6. Epub 2013 Aug 29.

    PubMed 23993280
  • Sinyor M, Schaffer A, Levitt A. The sequenced treatment alternatives to relieve depression (STAR*D) trial: a review. Can J Psychiatry. 2010 Mar;55(3):126-35. doi: 10.1177/070674371005500303.

    PubMed 20370962
  • UK ECT Review Group. Efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy in depressive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2003 Mar 8;361(9360):799-808. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12705-5.

    PubMed 12642045
  • Haq AU, Sitzmann AF, Goldman ML, Maixner DF, Mickey BJ. Response of depression to electroconvulsive therapy: a meta-analysis of clinical predictors. J Clin Psychiatry. 2015 Oct;76(10):1374-84. doi: 10.4088/JCP.14r09528.

    PubMed 26528644
  • Sackeim HA. Modern Electroconvulsive Therapy: Vastly Improved yet Greatly Underused. JAMA Psychiatry. 2017 Aug 1;74(8):779-780. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.1670. No abstract available.

    PubMed 28658461
  • Slade EP, Jahn DR, Regenold WT, Case BG. Association of Electroconvulsive Therapy With Psychiatric Readmissions in US Hospitals. JAMA Psychiatry. 2017 Aug 1;74(8):798-804. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.1378.

    PubMed 28658489
  • Aoki Y, Yamaguchi S, Ando S, Sasaki N, Bernick PJ, Akiyama T. The experience of electroconvulsive therapy and its impact on associated stigma: A meta-analysis. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2016 Dec;62(8):708-718. doi: 10.1177/0020764016675379. Epub 2016 Oct 26.

    PubMed 27798050
  • Bailine S. Reimbursement and documentation issues in an ambulatory ECT program. J ECT. 1998 Dec;14(4):255-8.

    PubMed 9871847
  • Case BG, Bertollo DN, Laska EM, Price LH, Siegel CE, Olfson M, Marcus SC. Declining use of electroconvulsive therapy in United States general hospitals. Biol Psychiatry. 2013 Jan 15;73(2):119-26. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.09.005. Epub 2012 Oct 8.

    PubMed 23059049
  • Wilhelmy S, Rolfes V, Grozinger M, Chikere Y, Schottle S, Gross D. Knowledge and attitudes on electroconvulsive therapy in Germany: A web based survey. Psychiatry Res. 2018 Apr;262:407-412. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.09.015. Epub 2017 Sep 11.

    PubMed 28923432
  • Wilkinson D, Daoud J. The stigma and the enigma of ECT. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1998 Dec;13(12):833-5. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(1998120)13:123.0.co;2-r. No abstract available.

    PubMed 9884906
  • Dwork AJ, Arango V, Underwood M, Ilievski B, Rosoklija G, Sackeim HA, Lisanby SH. Absence of histological lesions in primate models of ECT and magnetic seizure therapy. Am J Psychiatry. 2004 Mar;161(3):576-8. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.161.3.576.

    PubMed 14992989
  • Semkovska M, McLoughlin DM. Objective cognitive performance associated with electroconvulsive therapy for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biol Psychiatry. 2010 Sep 15;68(6):568-77. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.06.009. Epub 2010 Jul 31.

    PubMed 20673880
  • Payne NA, Prudic J. Electroconvulsive therapy: Part I. A perspective on the evolution and current practice of ECT. J Psychiatr Pract. 2009 Sep;15(5):346-68. doi: 10.1097/01.pra.0000361277.65468.ef.

    PubMed 19820553
  • Prudic J, Peyser S, Sackeim HA. Subjective memory complaints: a review of patient self-assessment of memory after electroconvulsive therapy. J ECT. 2000 Jun;16(2):121-32. doi: 10.1097/00124509-200006000-00004.

    PubMed 10868322

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of ECT and Depression, run by University Hospital, Bonn at 1 site in Germany.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 11 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 25 May 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Germany. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Results are not available in the source record.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Maximilian Kiebs, M.Sc. (0049228287 ext. 19710, m.kiebs@ukbonn.de), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in auditory verbal learning performance (time frame: Within one week before first and one week after last ECT). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03490149, which also lists 19 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 25 May 2022.

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