rTMS for Aneroxia Nervosa in Youth

NCT ID: NCT04846517

Last Updated: 2025-09-22

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 45 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2026-01-30
• Study Completion Date: 2028-01-01

Brief Summary

This study will examine the feasibility of off-label multilocus repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa in participants between the ages of 14-24. rTMS is a non-invasive, brain-based intervention that uses magnets to deliver energy to the brain. The investigators will also see if patients receiving multilocus rTMS show any improvements in their eating disorder, mood, anxiety, and obsessions and compulsions (if present). Participants will receive daily intervention with off-label multilocus rTMS for 20 total treatments. Participants will also be asked to complete mental health and well-being surveys, physical measurements, and 2 brain imagining scans (MRIs) at baseline, and at study end. The investigators will also ask participants to complete surveys are 1-month and 3-months after the final rTMS session. The target enrollment for this study is 45 participants.

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

TMS Treatment

iTBS treatment: Trains of 50 Hz pulses every 200 ms lasting 2 s, with an 8 s intertrain interval (ITI), repeated 60 times 1800 total pulses each day Treatment Duration: 9 minutes Location: Left DLPFC LF-rTMS treatment: Delivered immediately after iTBS treatment as described above.

SMA will involve a continuous train of 1 Hz stimulation for a total of 1200 pulses lasting 20 minutes Treatment Duration: 20 minutes Location: SMA

Group Type: OTHER

Transcranial Magnetic Treatment

Intervention Type: DEVICE

iTBS treatment: Trains of 50 Hz pulses every 200 ms lasting 2 s, with an 8 s intertrain interval (ITI), repeated 60 times 1800 total pulses each day Treatment Duration: 9 minutes Location: Left DLPFC

LF-rTMS treatment: Delivered immediately after iTBS treatment as described above.

SMA will involve a continuous train of 1 Hz stimulation for a total of 1200 pulses lasting 20 minutes Treatment Duration: 20 minutes Location: SMA

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Treatment

iTBS treatment: Trains of 50 Hz pulses every 200 ms lasting 2 s, with an 8 s intertrain interval (ITI), repeated 60 times 1800 total pulses each day Treatment Duration: 9 minutes Location: Left DLPFC

LF-rTMS treatment: Delivered immediately after iTBS treatment as described above.

SMA will involve a continuous train of 1 Hz stimulation for a total of 1200 pulses lasting 20 minutes Treatment Duration: 20 minutes Location: SMA

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. youth aged 14-24 with DSM-5 AN-restricting (ANR) or AN-binge-eating-purging (ANBP) type as determined by the MINI-KID/MINI and clinical interview;

2. YBC-EDS score≥16,

3. baseline CGI-S score ≥4,

4. English speaking (as this complement of questionnaires are available in English)

5. on stable psychotropic medication (if any) for the preceding 4 weeks (i.e., SSRIs, atypical antipsychotics and benzodiazepines of doses <1 mg lorazepam equivalent daily),

6. medically stable, as determined by their treating clinician, and

7. not deemed to be at high risk of imminent suicidal behavior by initial study psychiatrist assessment and referring provider/team, and no endorsement of items 4 or 5 on the Severity of Ideation Subscale of the C-SSRS.

8. For women: not currently pregnant and on reliable birth control if sexually active (as the effects of rTMS on the unborn fetus are unknown).

Exclusion Criteria

1. a lifetime history of psychosis, mania, or seizure disorder

2. active suicidality as determined by clinical assessment by MD or PhD, and endorsement of items 4 or 5 on the Severity of Ideation Subscale of the C-SSRS.

3. unstable neurological disorder,

4. metal in head/eye,

5. inability to tolerate MRI,

6. at high risk of alcohol withdrawal or substance intoxication,

7. diagnosis of pervasive development disorder,

8. medical instability as determined by primary care provider and/or referring clinician (i.e., unstable electrolytes in the setting of worsening binge-eating/purging, cardiac arrhythmias requiring Holter or other intensive monitoring),

9. For women: pregnant or not using a reliable form of birth control.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 14 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 24 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of California, Los Angeles

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Andrew F. Leuchter

Assistant Professor- UCLA Neuromodulation Division

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Central Contacts

Jonathan Lee, MD

Role: CONTACT

jonthanclee@mednet.ucla.edu

(310_824-0304

Doan Ngo, BS

Role: CONTACT

thucdoanngo@mednet.ucla.edu

310-825-7797

Other Identifiers

20-001905

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id