NCT00763230

Brief Summary

Depression is a common illness with an approximate lifetime prevalence of 17 %, conferring a large burden of disease in the community, often due to inadequate treatment. Thus there is interest in the therapeutic potential of non invasive, novel forms of brain stimulation, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Two small studies have been published in the last two years indicating that 20 minutes of either 1 or 2mA tDCS over 5 or 10 sessions is safe, painless and well tolerated. The investigators' own pilot data (N=30) also suggests the technique has antidepressant effects and is safe (5-10 sessions of tDCS at 1 mA). This study will extend previous findings, testing a more definitive tDCS approach (also left prefrontal anodal stimulation) with a longer treatment course (15 sessions), at 2 mA (which has been found to be safe and more effective than 1 mA in cognitive studies), and in a larger sample (N=68), using a placebo-controlled design. It is hypothesised that active tDCS (15 sessions) will have greater efficacy than sham treatment (15 sessions) in reducing the severity of depressive symptoms in patients in an episode of major depression. A second hypothesis is that 15 sessions of tDCS will not cause any significant adverse effects or cause decline in neuropsychological functioning in comparison to a sham control.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
68

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for phase_2

Timeline
Completed

Started Apr 2008

Typical duration for phase_2

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

April 1, 2008

Completed
6 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

September 26, 2008

Completed
4 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

September 30, 2008

Completed
2.3 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

January 1, 2011

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

January 1, 2011

Completed
Last Updated

May 2, 2011

Status Verified

March 1, 2011

Enrollment Period

2.8 years

First QC Date

September 26, 2008

Last Update Submit

April 29, 2011

Conditions

Depressive Disorder, MajorBipolar Disorder

Keywords

DepressionTreatmentTranscranial direct current stimulation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale for Depression (MADRS)

    Baseline (pre-treatment), post 8, 15, 23 and 30 tDCS sessions, and follow-up 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months post treatment

    6 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS-C)

    6 months

  • Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology - Self rated (QIDS-SR)

    Baseline (pre-treatment), post 8, 15, 23 and 30 tDCS sessions, and follow-up 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months post treatment

Study Arms (2)

active

EXPERIMENTAL

Full active tDCS treatment

Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation

sham

SHAM COMPARATOR

Placebo tDCS will be give

Device: Transcranial direct current stimulation

Interventions

Transcranial direct current stimulationDEVICE

tDCS will be given every weekday. For each session, tDCS will be given continuously for 20 minutes at 2 mA. Conductive rubber electrodes (7 x 5 cm, 35 cm2) covered by sponges soaked in saline will be used, held in place by a head band. The current will be gradually increased to the level of 2 mA over 30 seconds (to avoid the sensation of a flash as described in the safety section above). For sham stimulation, the current will be left on for another 30s, then gradually reduced to zero over another 30 seconds, so that the initial tingling sensation experienced by subjects will be identical for the two groups. The stimulator will be placed behind the subject's head so any adjustments to the current by the operator are not evident. This sham procedure resulted in successful blinding in our pilot study.

Also known as: Eldith DC-Stimulator (CE certified)
activesham

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 75 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Meets criteria for DSM-IV Major Depressive Episode

You may not qualify if:

  • Diagnosis (as defined by DSM-IV) of: any psychotic disorder except bipolar disorder(lifetime); eating disorder (current or within the past year); obsessive compulsive disorder (lifetime); post-traumatic stress disorder (current or within the past year); mental retardation.
  • History of drug or alcohol abuse or dependence (as per DSM-IV criteria) within the last 3 months (except nicotine and caffeine).
  • Inadequate response to ECT in the current episode of depression.
  • Subject is on regular benzodiazepine medication which it is not clinically appropriate to discontinue.
  • Subject requires a rapid clinical response due to inanition, psychosis or high suicide risk.
  • Neurological disorder or insult, eg recent stroke (CVA), which places subject at risk of seizure or neuronal damage with tDCS.
  • Subject has metal in the cranium, skull defects, or skin lesions on scalp (cuts, abrasions, rash) at proposed electrode sites.
  • Female subject who is pregnant, or of child-bearing age, sexually active and not using reliable contraception

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales

Randwick, New South Wales, 2031, Australia

Location

Related Publications (1)

  • Loo CK, Alonzo A, Martin D, Mitchell PB, Galvez V, Sachdev P. Transcranial direct current stimulation for depression: 3-week, randomised, sham-controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry. 2012 Jan;200(1):52-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.111.097634.

    PMID: 22215866DERIVED

Related Links

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depressive Disorder, MajorBipolar DisorderDepression

Interventions

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Depressive DisorderMood DisordersMental DisordersBipolar and Related DisordersBehavioral SymptomsBehavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Electric Stimulation TherapyTherapeuticsConvulsive TherapyPsychiatric Somatic TherapiesBehavioral Disciplines and ActivitiesElectroshockPsychological Techniques

Study Officials

  • Colleen Loo

    University of New South Wales

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 2
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

September 26, 2008

First Posted

September 30, 2008

Study Start

April 1, 2008

Primary Completion

January 1, 2011

Study Completion

January 1, 2011

Last Updated

May 2, 2011

Record last verified: 2011-03

Locations

AU(1)