TMS vs Conventional Therapy for the Treatment of Functional Neurological Non Epileptic Seizure Disorder

NCT ID: NCT05241366

Last Updated: 2023-09-28

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

28 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-02-14

Study Completion Date

2023-07-31

Brief Summary

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The aim of the study is to compare the effect of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) versus treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), in patients with diagnosis of Functional Neurological Non Epileptic Seizure Disorder (PNES).

Detailed Description

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This study consists of a single-blind Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial comprised of 20 patients with diagnosis of Psychogenic Non Epileptic Seizures (PNES), distributed in 2 arms of 10 patients each.

Patients (n=20) will be randomly assigned (using the block randomization method) to one of the groups. Both groups of patients will be receiving their usual medical treatment (SSRIs), one group will receive in addition a therapeutic scheme with active TMS, while the second group will receive the same scheme, but with a sham TMS coil to decrease the bias of placebo effect.

Conditions

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Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizure

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. Non-probabilistic sampling of consecutive cases randomized to each arm of the study. The study will consist of a control group and a study group. The study group will receive a therapeutic scheme with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) + usual pharmacological treatment and the control group will receive an identical scheme with TMS simulated with a sham coil + usual pharmacological treatment.
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors
Double masking (Trial Participant/Outcomes Assessor)

Study Groups

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Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation + usual treatment with SSRIs

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation + SSRIs The TMS group will be comprised of 10 patients, each subject will receive 12 sessions of low frequency (1 Hz) rTMS over right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with a total of 1500 each session.

All patients will continue with the usual treatment established by their treating physician. Those who do not have a previous pharmacological treatment will start a protocol with sertraline, which should be started at a 50 mg/day dosage.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Intervention Type DEVICE

The TMS group will be comprised of 10 patients, each subject will receive 12 sessions of low frequency (1 Hz) rTMS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with a total of 1500 pulses in each session. Each session will last approximately 30 minutes. There will be one session per day, five sessions per week. The total duration of the treatment will be four weeks.

All patients will continue with the usual treatment established by their treating physician. Those who do not have a previous pharmacological treatment will start a protocol with sertraline, which should be started at a 50 mg/day dosage.

Sham TMS coil + usual treatment with SSRIs

The sham TMS coil group will be comprised of 10 patients, sham TMS stimulation will be performed with the B-65 coil, which has similar sound and scalp contact to those experienced during active stimulation. The duration of treatment will be the same as in the experimental arm.

All patients will continue with the usual treatment established by their treating physician. Those who do not have a previous pharmacological treatment will start a protocol with sertraline, which should be started at a 50 mg/day dosage.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Sham Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation coil

Intervention Type DEVICE

Simulated TMS stimulation will be performed with a Sham TMS coil, which has a sound and scalp contact similar to those experienced during active stimulation. The duration of the treatment will be the same as in the experimental arm.

All patients will continue with the usual treatment established by their treating physician. Those who do not have a previous pharmacological treatment will start a protocol with sertraline, which should be started at a 50 mg/day dosage.

Interventions

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Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

The TMS group will be comprised of 10 patients, each subject will receive 12 sessions of low frequency (1 Hz) rTMS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with a total of 1500 pulses in each session. Each session will last approximately 30 minutes. There will be one session per day, five sessions per week. The total duration of the treatment will be four weeks.

All patients will continue with the usual treatment established by their treating physician. Those who do not have a previous pharmacological treatment will start a protocol with sertraline, which should be started at a 50 mg/day dosage.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Sham Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation coil

Simulated TMS stimulation will be performed with a Sham TMS coil, which has a sound and scalp contact similar to those experienced during active stimulation. The duration of the treatment will be the same as in the experimental arm.

All patients will continue with the usual treatment established by their treating physician. Those who do not have a previous pharmacological treatment will start a protocol with sertraline, which should be started at a 50 mg/day dosage.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Other Intervention Names

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rTMS Sham TMS coil

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Patients with a diagnosis of PNES, based on the diagnostic criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) and the ILAE, confirmed by video recording and/or V-EEG monitoring, and who have a monthly seizure frequency greater than 3.
2. Patients who have a record at the institute with the diagnosis of PNES.
3. Patients with an encephalic MRI.
4. Patients who give their written consent to participate in the protocol.
5. Patients who have not had any changes in the pharmacological treatment in the last 6 weeks.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Patients who cannot answer the scales and other clinimetric instruments.
2. Patients with a history of previous or current epilepsy.
3. Patients with other major neurological comorbidities (tumor, cerebrovascular event (CVE), cranioencephalic trauma (TBI)).
4. Patients currently taking medications that lower the seizure threshold (Bupropion).
5. Patients with psychiatric comorbidities such as psychosis/bipolar disorder/substance abuse.
6. Patients with certain implanted metallic devices (pacemakers).
7. Pregnant women.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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El Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia Manuel Velasco Suarez

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Edgar Daniel Crail Melendez

MS

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Édgar Daniel Crail Meléndez, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía Manuel Velasco Suárez

Locations

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Instituto Nacional de Neurologia Y Neurocirugia Mvs

Mexico City, Mexico City, Mexico

Site Status

Countries

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Mexico

References

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Agarwal R, Garg S, Tikka SK, Khatri S, Goel D. Successful use of theta burst stimulation (TBS) for treating psychogenic non epileptic seizures (PNES) in a pregnant woman. Asian J Psychiatr. 2019 Jun;43:121-122. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2019.05.013. Epub 2019 May 8. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31125954 (View on PubMed)

LaFrance, W., & Blumer, D. (2018). Pharmacological Treatments for Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures. University of Warwick. Retrieved from: https://www.cambridge.org/core.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

LaFrance WC Jr, Keitner GI, Papandonatos GD, Blum AS, Machan JT, Ryan CE, Miller IW. Pilot pharmacologic randomized controlled trial for psychogenic nonepileptic seizures. Neurology. 2010 Sep 28;75(13):1166-73. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181f4d5a9. Epub 2010 Aug 25.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20739647 (View on PubMed)

Varia I, Logue E, O'connor C, Newby K, Wagner HR, Davenport C, Rathey K, Krishnan KR. Randomized trial of sertraline in patients with unexplained chest pain of noncardiac origin. Am Heart J. 2000 Sep;140(3):367-72. doi: 10.1067/mhj.2000.108514.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10966532 (View on PubMed)

Peterson, K., et al. (2017). Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the treatment of non-epileptic seizures: A Case Series. Max Rady College of Medicine. University of Manitoba.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Peterson KT, Kosior R, Meek BP, Ng M, Perez DL, Modirrousta M. Right Temporoparietal Junction Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures: A Case Series. Psychosomatics. 2018 Nov;59(6):601-606. doi: 10.1016/j.psym.2018.03.001. Epub 2018 Mar 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29628295 (View on PubMed)

Benbadis SR, Allen Hauser W. An estimate of the prevalence of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. Seizure. 2000 Jun;9(4):280-1. doi: 10.1053/seiz.2000.0409.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10880289 (View on PubMed)

Duncan R, Razvi S, Mulhern S. Newly presenting psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: incidence, population characteristics, and early outcome from a prospective audit of a first seizure clinic. Epilepsy Behav. 2011 Feb;20(2):308-11. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2010.10.022. Epub 2010 Dec 30.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21195031 (View on PubMed)

Kanemoto K, LaFrance WC Jr, Duncan R, Gigineishvili D, Park SP, Tadokoro Y, Ikeda H, Paul R, Zhou D, Taniguchi G, Kerr M, Oshima T, Jin K, Reuber M. PNES around the world: Where we are now and how we can close the diagnosis and treatment gaps-an ILAE PNES Task Force report. Epilepsia Open. 2017 Jun 23;2(3):307-316. doi: 10.1002/epi4.12060. eCollection 2017 Sep.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29588959 (View on PubMed)

Pollak TA, Nicholson TR, Edwards MJ, David AS. A systematic review of transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of functional (conversion) neurological symptoms. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2014 Feb;85(2):191-7. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2012-304181. Epub 2013 Jan 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23303960 (View on PubMed)

Dafotakis M, Ameli M, Vitinius F, Weber R, Albus C, Fink GR, Nowak DA. [Transcranial magnetic stimulation for psychogenic tremor - a pilot study]. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr. 2011 Apr;79(4):226-33. doi: 10.1055/s-0029-1246094. Epub 2011 Apr 8. German.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21480152 (View on PubMed)

van der Kruijs SJ, Bodde NM, Vaessen MJ, Lazeron RH, Vonck K, Boon P, Hofman PA, Backes WH, Aldenkamp AP, Jansen JF. Functional connectivity of dissociation in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2012 Mar;83(3):239-47. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2011-300776. Epub 2011 Nov 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22056967 (View on PubMed)

van der Kruijs SJ, Jagannathan SR, Bodde NM, Besseling RM, Lazeron RH, Vonck KE, Boon PA, Cluitmans PJ, Hofman PA, Backes WH, Aldenkamp AP, Jansen JF. Resting-state networks and dissociation in psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. J Psychiatr Res. 2014 Jul;54:126-33. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.03.010. Epub 2014 Mar 21.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24703187 (View on PubMed)

Parain D, Chastan N. Large-field repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with circular coil in the treatment of functional neurological symptoms. Neurophysiol Clin. 2014 Oct;44(4):425-31. doi: 10.1016/j.neucli.2014.04.004. Epub 2014 May 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25306083 (View on PubMed)

Nightscales R, McCartney L, Auvrez C, Tao G, Barnard S, Malpas CB, Perucca P, McIntosh A, Chen Z, Sivathamboo S, Ignatiadis S, Jones S, Adams S, Cook MJ, Kwan P, Velakoulis D, D'Souza W, Berkovic SF, O'Brien TJ. Mortality in patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures. Neurology. 2020 Aug 11;95(6):e643-e652. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009855. Epub 2020 Jul 20.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 32690794 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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16/21

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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