Depression-Reduction by Accelerated Personalized NeuroModulation and Its Effects on Sleep

Last updated: December 5, 2024
Sponsor: University of Oldenburg
Overall Status: Completed

Phase

N/A

Condition

Borderline Personality Disorder

Depression

Affective Disorders

Treatment

intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) or sham stimulation

Clinical Study ID

NCT04832750
DREAMS
  • Ages 18-65
  • All Genders
  • Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Summary

Advances in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) protocols with intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) have significantly decreased the duration for one single session and thereby enabled accelerated treatment plans with multiple sessions per day, potentially reducing the total treatment duration. This randomized, placebo-controlled study investigates the effects of accelerated iTBS treatment with connectivity-informed neuronavigation on symptom severity, sleep, interoception, and cognitive control in patients with major depressive disorder and with or without comorbid borderline personality disorder using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participant is able to provide consent.

  • Diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) according to DSM-V criteria.

  • During the current episode, treatment-resistant MDD (at least one failedpharmacological trial of adequate dose and duration)

  • For the MDD group with comorbid borderline personality disorder (BPD): diagnosis ofBPD according to the Diagnotic Statistical Manual V (DSM-V) criteria.

  • For healthy controls: no psychiatric or neurological illness.

Exclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  • For the MDD group without BPD: BPD diagnosis

  • The participant does not fulfill requirements for iTBS treatment according to safetyguidelines.

  • The participant does not fulfill requirements for MRI measurements according tosafety guidelines.

  • Pregnancy or breast-feeding.

  • Acute suicidality.

  • Neurological illness (e.g. dementia, Parkinson's disease, chorea huntington,multiple sclerosis).

  • increased current risk for epileptic seizure.

  • comorbid diagnosis of schizophrenia or psychotic symptoms, bipolar disorder, andsubstance use disorder within the last 6 months.

  • Conditions related to increased intracranial pressure.

  • Brain injury or stroke.

Study Design

Total Participants: 102
Treatment Group(s): 1
Primary Treatment: intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) or sham stimulation
Phase:
Study Start date:
May 03, 2021
Estimated Completion Date:
July 26, 2024

Study Description

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a safe and efficacious treatment option for treatment-resistant depression. Advances in rTMS protocols with intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) have significantly decreased the duration for one single session and thereby enabled accelerated treatment plans with multiple sessions per day, potentially reducing the total treatment duration. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by impairments in various domains including sleep, impulse control, and interoception. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by fear of abandonment, mood swings, and an unstable perception of self and often occurs with comorbid MDD. This comorbidity frequently impedes treatment of the BPD.

In this randomized, placebo-controlled study, 60 patients with treatment-resistant MDD (30 verum group, 30 sham group) and 60 patients with treatment-resistant MDD and comorbid BPD (30 verum group, 30 sham group) will receive two weeks of connectivity-informed iTBS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; 3 sessions per day, 5 days per week). Before and after the treatment phase, (functional) magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be performed. The effects of iTBS will be tested in four domains: (1) symptom severity (MDD and BPD symptoms), (2) sleep quality (sleep questionnaires and various sleep parameters monitored via an electroencephalography (EEG) headband), (3) neurocognitive effects (vigilance and response inhibition measured with behavioral and fMRI tasks), and (4) interoception (interoceptive attention measured with behavioral and fMRI tasks). Furthermore, before the start of the two-weeks treatment, a single iTBS session ("forecaster session") will be conducted to explore the validity of early symptom/mood responses and hormonal changes for the prediction of the the treatment outcome. Treatment effects will be analyzed within and across patient groups (MDD and MDD + BPD). In addition, domain-specific treatment effects will be analyzed as a function of distinct iTBS targets within the DLPFC.To evaluate pathological biases, the investigators will compare the patients' data with a control group of 30 healthy participants who will also be tested twice (without iTBS).

Connect with a study center

  • Department of Psychiatry, University of Oldenburg

    Bad Zwischenahn, 26160
    Germany

    Site Not Available

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