Personalized Therapeutic Neuromodulation for Anhedonic Depression

Purpose

This study will investigate the anti-anhedonic efficacy of a novel neurostimulation strategy termed accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (aiTBS) in participants with treatment resistant depression (TRD).

Condition

  • Treatment Resistant Depression

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 80 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Male or Female, between the ages of 18 and 80 at the time of screening. 2. Able to read, understand, and provide written, dated informed consent prior to screening. Proficiency in English sufficient to complete questionnaires / follow instructions during fMRI assessments and aiTBS interventions. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures, including availability for the duration of the study, and to communicate with study personnel about adverse events and other clinically important information. 3. Currently diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or Bipolar Disorder type II and meets criteria for a Major Depressive Episode, according to the criteria defined in the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5). 4. Medical records confirming a history of moderate to severe treatment-resistance as defined by a score of 7-14 on the Maudsley Staging Method (MSM). 5. MADRS score of ≥20 at screening (Visit 1). 6. TMS naive. 7. Access to ongoing psychiatric care before and after completion of the study. 8. Must be on a stable antidepressant therapeutic regimen for 6 weeks prior to study enrollment and agree to continue this regimen throughout the study period. 9. In good general health, as evidenced by medical history. 10. For females of reproductive potential: use of highly effective contraception for at least 1 month prior to screening and agreement to use such a method during study participation.

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Pregnancy 2. Primary psychiatric condition other than MDD requiring treatment except stable co-morbid anxiety disorder 3. History of or current psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder 4. Diagnosis of Intellectual Disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder 5. Current moderate or severe substance use disorder or demonstrating signs of acute substance withdrawal 6. Urine screening test positive for illicit substances 7. Active suicidal ideation (defined as an MSSI > 8) or a suicide attempt within the past 90 days 8. Any history of ECT (greater than 8 sessions) without meeting responder criteria 9. Recent (during the current depressive episode) or concurrent use of rapid acting antidepressant agent (i.e., ketamine or a course of ECT) 10. History of significant neurologic disease, including dementia, Parkinson's or Huntington's disease, brain tumor, seizure disorder, subdural hematoma, multiple sclerosis, or history of significant head trauma 11. Contraindication to receiving rTMS (e.g., metal in head, history of seizure, known brain lesion) 12. Contraindication to MRI (ferromagnetic metal in their body) 13. Treatment with another investigational drug or other intervention within the study period 14. Any other condition deemed by the PI to interfere with the study or increase risk to the participant

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Active Comparator
Active TBS-DLPFC
The active group will receive theta-burst TMS stimulation.
  • Device: Active TBS-DLPFC
    Participants in the active stimulation group will receive intermittent TBS to left DLPFC. The L-DLPFC will be targeted utilizing the Localite neuronavigation system. Stimulation intensity will be standardized at 90% of RMT and adjusted to the skull to cortical surface distance (see Nahas 2004). Stimulation will be delivered to the L-DLPFC using a MagPro TMS system (MagVenture, Denmark).
Active Comparator
Active TBS-DMPFC
The active group will receive theta-burst TMS stimulation.
  • Device: Active TBS-DMPFC
    Participants in the active stimulation group will receive intermittent TBS to DMPFC. The DMPFC will be targeted utilizing the Localite neuronavigation system. Stimulation intensity will be standardized at 90% of RMT and adjusted to the skull to cortical surface distance (see Nahas 2004). Stimulation will be delivered to the DMPFC using a MagPro TMS system (MagVenture, Denmark).
Sham Comparator
Sham Comparator: Sham TBS-DLPFC or DMPFC
The sham group will receive sham theta-burst TMS stimulation.
  • Device: Sham TBS-DLPFC or DMPFC
    The parameters in the sham arm will be as above with the internal randomization of the device internally switching to sham in a blinded fashion.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Stanford University

Study Contact

Mehdi Husain, ACRP-CP
650-497-3933
husain5@stanford.edu

Detailed Description

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an established therapy for treatment-resistant depression. The approved method for treatment is 10Hz stimulation for 40 min over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC). This methodology has been effective in real world situations. The limitations of this approach include the duration of the treatment (approximately 40 minutes per treatment session, 5 days per week, for 4-8 weeks). Recently, the investigators have pursued modifying the treatment parameters to reduce treatment times with an accelerated treatment paradigm. This study aims to further study the accelerated protocol and examine changes in neuroimaging biomarkers.