Ultrasonic Neuromodulation of Cingulate Cortex for Fibromyalgia: A Blinded Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial

NCT ID: NCT07226648

Last Updated: 2025-11-10

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

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

180 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-11-30

Study Completion Date

2026-11-30

Brief Summary

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

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate a new noninvasive brain stimulation intervention for fibromyalgia and to determine its effectiveness in reducing pain. Participants will receive four treatments over the course of one month and will complete surveys at multiple time points throughout the 16-week study.

Detailed Description

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

Conditions

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

Fibromyalgia

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

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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

Active Treatment

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Focused Ultrasound

Intervention Type DEVICE

DIADEM device

Sham Treatment

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Focused Ultrasound

Intervention Type DEVICE

DIADEM device

Interventions

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

Focused Ultrasound

DIADEM device

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. Willing and able to provide informed consent.
2. Age ≥ 22 years.
3. Meets 2016 American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia:

1. Generalized pain, defined as pain in at least 4 of 5 regions, is present, AND
2. Widespread pain index (WPI) ≥ 7 and symptom severity scale score (SSS) ≥ 5, or WPI of 4-6 and SSS score ≥ 9, AND
3. Symptoms have been present at a similar level for at least 3 months, AND
4. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia is valid irrespective of other diagnoses. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia does not exclude the presence of other clinically important illnesses.
4. Failure of at least two evidence-based medications (i.e., pregabalin, duloxetine, milnacipran) for the treatment of fibromyalgia.
5. Failure of one or more attempts at physical or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) including:

1. Aerobic exercise like walking, cycling, and swimming,
2. Water therapy/hydrotherapy with warm water exercises,
3. Tai Chi involving slow, controlled movements,
4. Yoga,
5. Resistance training,
6. Bodyweight exercises,
7. Pilates,
8. Myofascial release therapy applying gentle pressure on trigger points,
9. Massage therapy,
10. Trigger point therapy targeting specific pain points,
11. Joint mobilization,
12. Postural retraining to correct body alignment,
13. Balance and coordination exercises,
14. Feldenkrais method for movement awareness,
15. Alexander technique to enhance posture and movement efficiency,
16. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for pain relief,
17. Heat therapy using hot packs, infrared, or paraffin wax,
18. Cold therapy with ice packs or cryotherapy,
19. Ultrasound therapy for deep tissue relaxation,
20. Biofeedback to control muscle tension and pain response,
21. Gentle static stretching for prolonged duration,
22. Active dynamic stretching for full range of motion,
23. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) stretching,
24. Hydrotherapy pool exercises,
25. Ai Chi (water-based Tai Chi),
26. Underwater treadmill therapy, aa) Graded motor imagery (GMI), bb) Mirror therapy to retrain brain-body connections, cc) Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) combining meditation and movement, dd) Balance exercises to improve stability, ee)Gaze stabilization techniques for dizziness and disorientation, ff) CBT.
6. Pain score of ≥ 4 on Numerical Rating Scale (NRS-11) at Screening visit.
7. Pain score of ≥ 4 on NRS-11 at Baseline visit averaged over 3 consecutive calendar days.
8. Stated willingness and ability to comply with all study procedures.
9. Has remained on the same psychiatric treatment regimen (e.g., medication, psychotherapy) for at least one (1) month prior to screening, and has stated willingness to remain on the same regimen for the duration of the study unless a change in treatment is recommended or agreed upon by the site investigator.
10. For participants who could potentially become pregnant: negative urine pregnancy test at screening; agreement to use a highly effective method of contraception (≤ 1% pregnancy rate) including tubal ligation, vasectomized partner, IUD or IUS (intrauterine device or system), or long-acting contraceptives (LARC).

Exclusion Criteria

1. Any previous diagnosis of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia-spectrum disorder during the participant's lifetime, according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, version 5 (DSM-5-TR) criteria.
2. New or existing diagnosis of moderate or severe alcohol or other substance use disorder in the past 6 months, according to DSM-5-TR criteria.
3. New or existing diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or posttraumatic stress disorder in the past 30 days, according to DSM-5-TR criteria, and which is unstable in the clinical judgment of the investigator.
4. New or existing primary diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder in the past 3 months, according to DSM-5-TR criteria.
5. Clinically significant neurodevelopmental, neurocognitive, or personality disorder, according to DSM-5-TR criteria.
6. Moderate-High Risk of Suicide, according to the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) Screen Version - Recent (i.e., answers YES to Question 3 and NO to Question 6 (Moderate Risk), or YES to Question 4, 5, or 6 (High Risk)), or in the clinical judgement of the site investigator.
7. Lifetime history of a serious suicide attempt in the medical opinion of the site investigator.
8. Changes in treatment for pain in the past 2 months.
9. Treatment with electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, ketamine, or esketamine in the past 30 days.
10. Currently diagnosed progressive neurological disease such as multiple sclerosis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, rapid progressive arachnoiditis, brain or spinal cord tumor, or severe/critical spinal stenosis (stenosis).
11. Cancer-related pain.
12. Diagnosis of malignancy other than basal cell carcinoma, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix within the past five years, to include life expectancy less than one year due to advanced malignancy.
13. Autoimmune-related pain.
14. Inadequately managed general medical condition, in the opinion of the site investigator.
15. Lifetime history of cerebral small vessel disease.
16. Lifetime history of intracranial hemorrhage.
17. Pregnant or breast feeding.
18. Implanted medical device in the head or neck.
19. MRI contraindication or intolerance.
20. Previously enrolled in a DIADEM clinical trial. Note: a patient who screen fails is able to be rescreened at most one time.
21. Has a history of any medical or psychiatric disorder, disease, condition, injury, symptoms, or circumstance that, in the opinion of the site investigator, may (1) reduce the participant's ability to fulfill the study requirements as per protocol; (2) adversely impact the integrity of the data or the validity of the study results; or (3) pose an increased risk to the participant during study participation.
22. Participants with braids, dreadlocks, or other hairstyles that prevent access to the side of the head and who are unwilling to temporarily adjust their hairstyle to allow such access.
Minimum Eligible Age

22 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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

University of Utah Data Coordinating Center

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

SPIRE Therapeutics Inc.

INDUSTRY

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.

Akiko Okifuji, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Utah

Locations

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

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Site Status

Countries

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

United States

Central Contacts

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

Akiko Okifuji, PhD

Role: CONTACT

Phone: 801-585-7690

Email: [email protected]

Facility Contacts

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

Rachel Douglas, BS, CCRC

Role: primary

References

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

Riis TS, Feldman DA, Losser AJ, Okifuji A, Kubanek J. Noninvasive targeted modulation of pain circuits with focused ultrasonic waves. Pain. 2024 Dec 1;165(12):2829-2839. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003322. Epub 2024 Jul 30.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 39073370 (View on PubMed)

Riis TS, Losser AJ, Kassavetis P, Moretti P, Kubanek J. Noninvasive modulation of essential tremor with focused ultrasonic waves. J Neural Eng. 2024 Feb 27;21(1). doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/ad27ef.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 38335553 (View on PubMed)

Riis TS, Feldman DA, Kwon SS, Vonesh LC, Koppelmans V, Brown JR, Solzbacher D, Kubanek J, Mickey BJ. Noninvasive Modulation of the Subcallosal Cingulate and Depression With Focused Ultrasonic Waves. Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Apr 15;97(8):825-834. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.09.029. Epub 2024 Oct 11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 39396736 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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

SPIRE1002025

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id