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Major Depressive DisorderNCT03642522

Investigating Predictors of Treatment Response in Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) With Interleaved TMS/fMRI

A study testing repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in people with Major Depressive Disorder and Depression, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this trial is identify biomarkers of response to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in individuals with first episode or treatment resistant depression. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Major Depressive Disorder, Depression
What is being tested?
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
72 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
1 Nov 2018to 1 Aug 2020
Phase
Interventional
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 80 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

TRD Patient Inclusion Criteria:

Patients will be included if they:

  1. are outpatients
  2. are voluntary and competent to consent to treatment
  3. have a Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) confirmed diagnosis of MDD, single or recurrent
  4. are between the ages of 18 and 80 years
  5. have failed to achieve a clinical response to at least one adequate dose of an antidepressant based on an Antidepressant Treatment History Form (ATHF) score of score ≥ 3 in the current episode OR have been unable to tolerate at least 2 separate trials of antidepressants of inadequate dose and duration (ATHF 1 or 2)
  6. have a score ≥ 22 on the IDS item
  7. have had no increase or initiation of any psychotropic medication in the 4 weeks prior to initiation of rTMS
  8. able to adhere to the treatment schedule
  9. pass the TMS adult safety screening (TASS) questionnaire

First Episode Depression Inclusion Criteria:

Patients will be included if they:

  1. are outpatients
  2. are voluntary and competent to consent to treatment
  3. have a Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) confirmed diagnosis of MDD, single or recurrent
  4. are between the ages of 18 and 80 years
  5. have never received and adequate antidepressant trial and are not currently taking any antidepressant.
  6. have a score ≥ 12 on the IDS item
  7. are on no psychotropic medication for the 4 weeks prior to initiation of rTMS, with the exception of lorazepam up to 2mg or equivalent dose of benzodiazepine or prescribed sleeping aids including (zopiclone up to 15mg/d, zolpidem up to 10mg/d).
  8. able to adhere to the treatment schedule
  9. pass the TMS adult safety screening (TASS) questionnaire

Patient Exclusion Criteria:

Patients are excluded if they:

  1. have a history of substance dependence or abuse within the last 3 months
  2. have a concomitant major unstable medical illness, cardiac pacemaker or implanted medication pump
  3. have active suicidal intent
  4. are pregnant
  5. have a lifetime Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, delusional disorder, or current psychotic symptoms
  6. have a MINI diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (current or within the last year), anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder), or dysthymia, assessed by a study investigator to be primary and causing greater impairment than MDD
  7. have a diagnosis of any personality disorder, and assessed by a study investigator to be primary and causing greater impairment than MDD
  8. have failed a course of ECT in the current episode or previous episode
  9. have received rTMS for any previous indication due to the potential compromise of expectancy effects
  10. have any significant neurological disorder or insult including, but not limited to: any condition likely to be associated with increased intracranial pressure, space occupying brain lesion, any history of seizure except those therapeutically induced by ECT, cerebral aneurysm, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, multiple sclerosis, significant head trauma with loss of consciousness for greater than 5 minutes
  11. have an intracranial implant (e.g., aneurysm clips, shunts, stimulators, cochlear implants, or electrodes) or any other metal object within or near the head, excluding the mouth, that cannot be safely removed
  12. If participating in psychotherapy, must have been in stable treatment for at least 3 months prior to entry into the study, with no anticipation of change in the frequency of therapeutic sessions, or the therapeutic focus over the duration of the study
  13. have a clinically significant laboratory abnormality, in the opinion of the one of the principal investigators
  14. are currently (or in the last 4 weeks) taking lorazepam greater than 2 mg daily (or equivalent) or any dose of an anticonvulsant, due to the potential to limit rTMS efficacy
  15. have a non-correctable clinically significant sensory impairment (i.e., cannot hear well enough to cooperate with interview).
  16. have failed more than 5 adequate trials of medication in the current episode.
  17. Exclusion criteria for MRI: Those with a history of cranial, thoracic or abdominal surgery, with pacemakers, artificial joins or other metallic implants will be excluded from the MRI scan. Subjects that have agreed to participate in the MRI portion of the study will be pre- screened for any potential metal fragments in the body (particularly in the orbits) if they have had any history of doing metal work or have been involved in use/deployment of ammunitions/explosives, welding, piping etc.). In these cases a CT scan will be performed prior to the MRI scan ----------

Healthy Control Inclusion Criteria

Participants will be included if they:

  1. are voluntary and competent to consent to the study
  2. are between the ages of 18 and 80
  3. are fluent in English, sufficient to complete interviews and cognitive testing
  4. have no history of Axis I or Axis II disorders, as determined by the MINI
  5. pass the TMS adult safety screening (TASS) questionnaire

Healthy Control Exclusion Criteria:

Participants will be excluded if they:

  1. have a lifetime Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, delusional disorder, or current psychotic symptoms
  2. have a MINI diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (current or within the last year), anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder), dysthymia or any personality disorder
  3. have history of bipolar disorder or psychosis in first degree relative (parents, siblings, offspring)
  4. are unable to provide family history of biological family (i.e., adopted persons are not eligible)
  5. have a history of substance dependence within the last 3 months
  6. have a concomitant major unstable medical illness
  7. have any significant neurological disorder or insult including, but not limited to: any condition likely to be associated with increased intracranial pressure, space occupying brain lesion, cerebral aneurysm, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, multiple sclerosis, significant head trauma with loss of consciousness for greater than or equal to 5 minutes
  8. have a non-correctable clinically significant sensory impairment (i.e., cannot hear well enough to cooperate with interview).
  9. have a personal or family history of seizures
  10. Exclusion criteria for MRI: Those with a history of cranial, thoracic or abdominal surgery, with pacemakers, artificial joins or other metallic implants will be excluded from the MRI scan. Those who are pregnant will also be excluded from the MRI scan. Subjects that have agreed to participate in the MRI portion of the study will be pre-screened for any potential metal fragments in the body (particularly in the orbits) if they have had any history of doing metal work or have been involved in use/deployment of ammunitions/explosives, welding, piping etc.)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Therapies lab, University of British Columbia

    Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T2A1

Other trials in Canada

About this study

The purpose of this trial is identify biomarkers of response to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in individuals with first episode or treatment resistant depression. These biomarkers include simultaneous TMS-fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), a blood smear, cognitive and behavioural assessments, questionnaires, and neurophysiology.

Read the detailed description

This study is enrolling 60 individuals with treatment-resistant depression.

All patients will receive four weeks of 1-Hz rTMS to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R_DLPFC). In addition, all patients will undergo baseline and post-treatment measures, including rTMS while they are in the MRI scanner, neurophysiology (Electroencephalography (EEG)/Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS)), cognitive testing, behavioural assessments and a blood smear. There will also be a 1-week, 4-week, and 12-week follow-up following completion of the treatment course.

Being tested
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
Keywords
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, rTMS, neurostimulation, biomarker, treatment-resistant
Medical subject headings
Depressive Disorder, Major, Depression

What participants receive

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

  • repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulationDevice

    Also called rTMS

    rTMS is a Health-Canada- and FDA-approved treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), using focused magnetic field pulses to stimulate brain regions involved in emotion regulation, safely and non-invasively. rTMS can be applied at varying discharge frequencies which have differential effects on cortical excitability. At a low frequency (≤ 1Hz), rTMS reduces cortical excitability, while at frequencies greater than 1 Hz, rTMS facilitates cortical excitability3. In MDD, either high- frequency rTMS (HF-rTMS) applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) or low- frequency rTMS (LF-rTMS) applied over the right DLPFC have similar efficacy. This study utilizes low frequency rTMS to the right DLPFC.

Study groups in NCT03642522
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1 Hz rTMSExperimental30 minutes of 1 Hz rTMS to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R_DLPFC)
Receives: Device: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

What is being measured

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

  1. Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-30)

    The inventory of depressive symptomatology is a clinician-rated depression scale. Outcome will be total score. Minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 84. Higher scores indicate worse severity.

    Measured: 4 weeks

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR)

    The quick inventory of depressive symptomatology is self-rated depression scale. Outcome will be total score. Minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 27. Higher scores indicate worse severity.

    Measured: 4 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted22 Aug 2018
  2. Study start1 Nov 2018
  3. Primary completion30 Mar 2020
  4. Study completion1 Aug 2020

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
72 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03642522
Sponsor's protocol ID
H14-02819
Status last verified
Jan 2021
First submitted
9 Aug 2018
Last updated
12 Jan 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Gregory EC, Carroll B, Kim J, Hasan H, Sun W, Kasper L, Ge R, Gorges M, Butterfield M, Vila-Rodriguez F. Acute neuromodulatory effects of 1 Hz rTMS on the central autonomic network in depression: A concurrent TMS-fMRI study. J Affect Disord. 2026 Jul 16;414:122268. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2026.122268. Online ahead of print.

    PubMed 42462929
  • Ge R, Humaira A, Gregory E, Alamian G, MacMillan EL, Barlow L, Todd R, Nestor S, Frangou S, Vila-Rodriguez F. Predictive Value of Acute Neuroplastic Response to rTMS in Treatment Outcome in Depression: A Concurrent TMS-fMRI Trial. Am J Psychiatry. 2022 Jul;179(7):500-508. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.21050541. Epub 2022 May 18.

    PubMed 35582784

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in people with Major Depressive Disorder and Depression, run by University of British Columbia at 1 site in Canada.

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

Who may be eligible to take part?

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: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Jan 2021. 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 Canada. 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?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-30) (time frame: 4 weeks). 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 NCT03642522, which also lists 2 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 12 Jan 2021.

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