Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Treatment-Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (FRONT)

NCT ID: NCT02743715

Last Updated: 2020-12-29

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

44 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2016-04-30

Study Completion Date

2018-08-31

Brief Summary

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Neuromodulation techniques for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) have expanded with the greater understanding of the brain circuits involved in this disorder. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that has been studied as an alternative for strategy for treatment-resistant OCD. The main study is a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blinded trial tDCS for OCD patients unresponsive to cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Forty-four patients will be randomized to two groups: active or simulated intervention. The intervention consisted of delivering an electric current of 2mA to the cathode, positioned bilaterally in the cranial region corresponding to the supplementary motor cortex, and the anode positioned in the deltoid (neutral region), during 30-minutes, for four consecutive weeks. The primary outcome was the reduction in baseline YBOCS scores before and after of tDCS treatment. Secondary outcomes include measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms, genetic markers, motor cortical excitability and performance in neurocognitive tests.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Keywords

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Transcranial direct current stimulation Neuromodulation

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

randomized, sham-controlled trial
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors
all study staff were blind to the participant's condition; only the neuromodulation staff, external to the study team, were aware of the participant's treatment group

Study Groups

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Active tDCS

Electric current of 2mA delivered to the cathode, positioned bilaterally in the cranial region corresponding to the supplementary motor cortex, with the anode positioned in the deltoid (neutral region), in 30-minute sessions, 5 days a week (Mondays through Fridays) for four consecutive weeks.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Active tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation)

Intervention Type DEVICE

An electrical current of 2mA is delivered to the cathode, positioned bilaterally in the cranial region corresponding to the supplementary motor cortex, with the anode positioned in the deltoid (neutral region), in 30-minute sessions, 5 days a week (Mondays through Fridays) for four consecutive weeks.

Sham tDCS

In this group, the cathode is positioned bilaterally in the cranial region corresponding to the supplementary motor cortex, with the anode positioned in the deltoid (neutral region), in 30-minute sessions, 5 days a week (Mondays through Fridays) for four consecutive weeks, without delivery of the electric current.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Sham tDCS

Intervention Type DEVICE

The cathode is positioned bilaterally in the cranial region corresponding to the supplementary motor cortex, with the anode positioned in the deltoid (neutral region), in a 30-minute session, 5 days a week (Mondays through Fridays) for four consecutive weeks, without delivery of the electric current.

Interventions

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Active tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation)

An electrical current of 2mA is delivered to the cathode, positioned bilaterally in the cranial region corresponding to the supplementary motor cortex, with the anode positioned in the deltoid (neutral region), in 30-minute sessions, 5 days a week (Mondays through Fridays) for four consecutive weeks.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham tDCS

The cathode is positioned bilaterally in the cranial region corresponding to the supplementary motor cortex, with the anode positioned in the deltoid (neutral region), in a 30-minute session, 5 days a week (Mondays through Fridays) for four consecutive weeks, without delivery of the electric current.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Patients diagnosed with OCD according to DSM IV criteria
* YBOCS score of 16 and above or ≥10 (for the presence of only compulsions or only obsessions)
* Patients with other psychiatric comorbidities are not excluded, however, OCD should be the most important disease .
* Age between 18 and 65
* Patients who failed one or more treatments
* Patients with no previous treatment for OCD will be treated with one first line treatment before being considered to participate in the tDCS trial.
* Voluntary and competent to consent

Exclusion Criteria

* Other diagnostic axis I whose treatment take precedence over the treatment of OCD (bipolar affective disorder; dependence alcohol; schizophrenia or psychotic disorders; dementia)
* Presence of other neurological diseases or severe clinical as neurodegenerative diseases, severe aphasia, malignancies activity, epilepsy, previous head injury, congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease stage III or IV;
* Presence of severe suicidal ideation (Structured planning suicide or attempted suicide in the past 4 weeks);
* Pregnancy;
* Inability to provide informed consent;
* Specific contraindication to tDCS: ( metal plates on the head, anatomic changes.);
* In relation to the current use of psychotropic drugs will be permitted, provided they are in doses stable for at least 6 weeks.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Sao Paulo

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Roseli Gedanke Shavitt

MD, PhD Department & Institute of Psychiatry Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders Program University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Brazil

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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USP

São Paulo, , Brazil

Site Status

Countries

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Brazil

References

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Silva RM, Brunoni AR, Miguel EC, Shavitt RG. Transcranial direct current stimulation for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: report on two cases and proposal for a randomized, sham-controlled trial. Sao Paulo Med J. 2016 Sep-Oct;134(5):446-450. doi: 10.1590/1516-3180.2016.0155010716.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 27901245 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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FRONT2016

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id