Probing Homeostatic Plasticity With Priming Theta-burst Stimulation of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

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

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

160 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-05-23

Study Completion Date

2024-01-16

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

Priming stimulation is a highly promising tool to boost the beneficial effects of therapeutic repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in psychiatry. The potentiating effects of priming stimulation, however, depend on the time interval between the priming and the test stimulation. Although it is known that too short and too long intervals have no effects, systematic studies that identify the time needed to maximize efficacy have not yet been done. Thus, there is a need for studies to investigate the effects of priming stimulation in order to fully utilize the potential benefits and advantages of this promising new rTMS protocol. This study will systematically investigate the neuromodulatory process underlying priming stimulation to enhance metaplasticity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) - one of the main targets for therapeutic rTMS - in individuals with subclinical depression.

The brain is a highly plastic organ and its activity can be influenced using rTMS. At the same time, the brain also has a mechanism - called homeostatic metaplasticity - which counteracts extreme plastic changes. Homeostatic metaplasticity therefore can limit the beneficial effects of brain stimulation interventions. However, priming stimulation protocols that include both a priming and a test stimulation session may utilize homeostatic metaplasticity to increase the beneficial effects of brain stimulation, although the optimal treatment parameters for priming are not known. Moreover, little is known about homeostatic metaplasticity in the DLPFC, an area that is particularly relevant for psychiatric conditions given its role in the top-down control of emotions. Here, the investigators will systematically study metaplasticity using priming theta-burst stimulation (TBS), a potent form of rTMS in the left DLPFC. Changes in blood oxygenation that signal brain activity changes will be assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) at rest and during engagement in several cognitive tasks. The findings from this study will (1) elucidate the optimal time interval between priming and test stimulation; (2) elucidate the influence of priming TBS on emotion discrimination as well as executive function and its underlying brain activity in subclinical depression; and (3) validate homeostatic metaplasticity in the left DLPFC.

Related Clinical Trials

Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.

The Utility of Concurrent TBS/fNIRS for Antidepressant Treatment Optimization

NCT04526002

Major Depressive Disorder

COMPLETED NA

Probing TBS-induced Neural Plasticity and Associated Effects on Learning

NCT03756584

Healthy

COMPLETED NA

Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex and the Antidepressant Efficacy of Theta Burst Stimulation in Depressed Patients

NCT04037592

Treatment Resistant Depression

COMPLETED NA

Dorsomedial Prefrontal Neuromodulation in Treatment-resistant Depression

NCT05422417

Treatment-resistant Depression Major Depressive Disorder

RECRUITING NA

Exploring the Modulatory Role of Brain State on the Prefrontal Response to Excitatory Stimulation

NCT06750614

Healthy Adult

ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION NA

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

No detailed description

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Depression Minor

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Randomized, single blind, parallel group experiment

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Participants will not be told which arm they belong to

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Condition 1

Priming sham TBS, followed by iTBS after an inter-stimulation-interval (ISI) of 0 minutes

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL