Accelerated TBS in Late Life Depression

NCT ID: NCT05119699

Last Updated: 2023-02-08

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

UNKNOWN

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

30 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-10-14

Study Completion Date

2023-10-14

Brief Summary

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

This study is a single-arm, open-label, feasibility trial for the assessment of the clinical effects of a course of accelerated bilateral sequential theta burst stimulation (TBS) for late life depression (LLD). Over approximately 1 year, 30 outpatients at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) meeting diagnostic criteria for LLD will be recruited and will receive 5 consecutive days (always Monday to Friday) of TBS repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), administered 8 times daily at approximately 1 hour intervals, with continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) applied to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) followed by left DLPFC intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS).

Patients will undergo a series of assessments as well as motor threshold testing to determine the appropriate site and strength of stimulation according to standard methods and then begin treatment.

Detailed Description

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

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an evidenced based treatment for medically refractory major depressive disorder (MDD). rTMS involves direct stimulation of cortical neurons using externally applied, powerful, focused magnetic field pulses. Dozens of studies and several meta-analyses over the last 15 years have shown that rTMS of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) produces statistically significant improvements in MDD, even when medications have failed. In the most recent generation of randomized controlled trials, rTMS consistently achieves response rates of 50-55% and remission rates of 30-35% in medically refractory MDD patients. rTMS has been shown to be effective and well tolerated for depression in younger and older adults. However, early rTMS studies with older adults were limited by suboptimal stimulation parameters, small sample sizes and insufficient treatment durations. The optimal parameters for rTMS are still in the process of being established, however the most widely-used rTMS protocols apply excitatory, 10 Hz stimulation to the left DLPFC; high frequency left (HFL) or inhibitory, 1 Hz stimulation to the right DLPFC; low frequency right (LFR), or both. Taken together with the reported findings of several other groups, results suggest that accelerated rTMS may be feasible, tolerable, and capable of achieving comparable and potentially better remission rates than longer 20 to 30 day courses. However, all of these studies were small, open-label case series, focused on younger adults.

Conditions

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

Treatment Resistant Depression

Study Design

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

Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

This study is a single-arm, open-label, feasibility trial for the assessment of the clinical effects of a course of accelerated bilateral sequential TBS for LLD
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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

Active rTMS treatment

Patients will receive accelerated TBS

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

MagPro X100/R30 stimulator equipped with the B70 fluid-cooled coil

Intervention Type DEVICE

Subjects will receive 5 consecutive days (always Monday to Friday) of TBS rTMS, administered 8 times daily at 1 hour intervals. Patients will undergo cTBS of the R DLPFC at 110-120% RMT using bursts of 3 pulses at 50 Hz, bursts repeated at 5 Hz for a total of 600 pulses over 40 seconds, followed by iTBS of the L DLPFC at 110-120% resting motor threshold (RMT) using bursts of 3 pulses at 50 Hz, bursts repeated at 5 Hz with a duty cycle of 2 s on, 8 s off for a total of 600 pulses over 3 min 9 s. Participants will be titrated to 110-120% RMT within the first four treatments to aid with tolerability. If patients tolerate the stimulation well, the target will be 120%. Assessments focused on depressive symptoms will be administered at baseline, after final treatment and four weeks post final treatment.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

MagPro X100/R30 stimulator equipped with the B70 fluid-cooled coil

Subjects will receive 5 consecutive days (always Monday to Friday) of TBS rTMS, administered 8 times daily at 1 hour intervals. Patients will undergo cTBS of the R DLPFC at 110-120% RMT using bursts of 3 pulses at 50 Hz, bursts repeated at 5 Hz for a total of 600 pulses over 40 seconds, followed by iTBS of the L DLPFC at 110-120% resting motor threshold (RMT) using bursts of 3 pulses at 50 Hz, bursts repeated at 5 Hz with a duty cycle of 2 s on, 8 s off for a total of 600 pulses over 3 min 9 s. Participants will be titrated to 110-120% RMT within the first four treatments to aid with tolerability. If patients tolerate the stimulation well, the target will be 120%. Assessments focused on depressive symptoms will be administered at baseline, after final treatment and four weeks post final treatment.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

1. Are voluntary and competent to consent to treatment
2. are an outpatient
3. are ≥60 years old
4. have a Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI 6.0) confirmed diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD), with a current major depressive episode (MDE)
5. have failed to achieve a clinical response to an adequate dose of an antidepressant based on an Antidepressant Treatment History Form (ATHF) score of \> 3 in the current episode or have failed to tolerate two separate trials of an antidepressant
6. have a score \> 18 on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)
7. have had no increase or initiation of any antidepressant or antipsychotic medication in the 4 weeks prior to screening
8. Pass the TMS adult safety screening (TASS) questionnaire

Exclusion Criteria

1. have a history of substance dependence or abuse within the last 3 months
2. have a concomitant major unstable medical illness as determined by one of the study physicians
3. have active suicidal intent
4. have a lifetime MINI diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder, or primary psychotic disorder
5. have current psychotic symptoms
6. have a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (current or within the last year), anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder), or dysthymia, assessed by a study investigator to be primary. One of these comorbidities will not be exclusionary if they are not deemed to be primary.
7. have a diagnosis of any personality disorder as assessed by a study investigator to be primary and causing greater impairment than MDD
8. have presumed or probable dementia or clinical evidence of dementia as assessed by a Short Blessed Test score of greater than 10.
9. did not respond to a course of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the current depressive episode
10. have received rTMS in the current episode, patients who have had rTMS in a previous episode would be eligible
11. have a history of a primary seizure disorder or a seizure associated with an intracranial lesion.
12. have an intracranial implant (e.g., aneurysm clips, shunts, stimulators, cochlear implants, or electrodes) or any other metal object within or near the head, excluding the mouth, that cannot be safely removed
13. have a implanted electronic device that is currently function such as a defibrillator
14. currently take more than lorazepam 2 mg daily (or equivalent) or any dose of an anticonvulsant
15. if participating in psychotherapy, must have been in stable treatment for at least 3 months prior to entry into the study, with no anticipation of change in the frequency of therapeutic sessions, or the therapeutic focus over the duration of the study
16. non-correctable clinically significant sensory impairment (i.e., cannot hear well enough to cooperate with interview).
Minimum Eligible Age

60 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Alisson Trevizol, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

CAMH

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Canada

Central Contacts

Reach out to these primary contacts for questions about participation or study logistics.

Angela Finewax, MSc

Role: CONTACT

416-535-8501 ext. 33797

Facility Contacts

Find local site contact details for specific facilities participating in the trial.

Angela Finewax, MSc

Role: primary

416-535-8501 ext. 33797

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Hui J, Trevizol AP, Lee HH, Zomorrodi R, Zrenner C, Mulsant BH, Blumberger DM. Effects of Comorbid Anxiety on Treatment Outcomes After Accelerated Theta Burst Stimulation for Late-Life Depression. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2025 Sep 20:S1064-7481(25)00485-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2025.09.017. Online ahead of print.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 41109788 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

070-2021

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

TBS in Major Depression
NCT03257397 UNKNOWN NA