NCT05388539

Brief Summary

Depression is a highly disabling disease that is prevalent throughout the world. The treatments proposed and studied to date have shown to be partially effective in treating this condition. Neuromodulation strategies have been used as an alternative, especially for refractory and challenging cases. In this context, studies investigating the effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation, including the theta burst stimulation (TBS) modality, have been increasing in number. However, there is still a lack of information seeking to explore the maximum effectiveness in the TBS modality. Therefore, the investigators developed a new stimulation protocol consisting of 3 TBS sessions per day, with an offer of 1200 pulses per session and a 30-minute interval between sessions. The protocol will be performed for 15 days, totalizing 45 stimulation sessions. The stimulations will be directed to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3) and will be performed in a Magventure MagPro R30 device. The investigators will select 100 patients with unipolar major depression, following previously established inclusion and exclusion criteria, and will apply the protocol randomly, dividing the patients into an active and placebo group. The research team hypothesized that the active group patients will have greater improvement in symptoms of depression assessed by the 17-item hamilton depression scale over patients of the placebo group. In addition, other scales will be used for secondary outcomes. The researchers also hypothesized that there will be no difference between patients placed in the active or placebo groups in terms of side effects.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
100

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable major-depressive-disorder

Timeline
Completed

Started Jun 2022

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

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

May 13, 2022

Completed
11 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 24, 2022

Completed
13 days until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

June 6, 2022

Completed
1.6 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

January 1, 2024

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

April 1, 2024

Completed
Last Updated

April 3, 2024

Status Verified

April 1, 2024

Enrollment Period

1.6 years

First QC Date

May 13, 2022

Last Update Submit

April 1, 2024

Conditions

Keywords

Unipolar DepressionMajor Depressive DisorderTranscranial Magnetic StimulationNeuromodulationTheta Burst StimulationAccelerated Theta Burst StimulationIntermittent Theta Burst Stimulation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (17 Items)

    Scale to assess depressive symptoms - The minimum scale score is 0 and the maximum scale score is 50 points. The standardized scores are: 7 to 17 points - mild depression; 18 to 25 points - moderate depression and 26 or more points - severe depression. Higher scores mean worse clinical condition or outcome.

    5 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale

    5 weeks

  • Collateral Effects Rating Scale

    5 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Active Group - protocol of Theta Burst Stimulation

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

3 sessions of theta burst stimulation, 1200 pulses per session of 6 minutes duration, 30-minute interval between sessions. Stimulation directed to the left dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex. The protocol will be applied for 15 days, totalizing 45 sessions of stimulation.

Procedure: Theta Burst Stimulation

Placebo Group - Sham Stimulation

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The placebo will consist of a sham stimulation activity. A noise generator, which makes the same noise as active stimulation, and a surface electrode placed over the patient's eyebrow, mimicking the tactile sensory effects of TBS.

Procedure: Sham Stimulation

Interventions

3 TBS sessions per day, with an offer of 1200 pulses per session and a 30-minute interval between sessions. This protocol will be applied to patients for 15 days, totaling 45 stimulation sessions. The stimulations will be directed to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3 obtained by the Beam method) and will be performed in a Magventure MagPro R30 device.The stimulation will be delivered at 100% of the motor threshold and will last for 6 minutes.

Also known as: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Magventure - MagPro R30
Active Group - protocol of Theta Burst Stimulation

The placebo will consist of a sham stimulation activity. A noise generator, which makes the same noise as active stimulation, and a surface electrode placed over the patient's eyebrow, mimicking the tactile sensory effects of TBS. It will also occur three times a day, with a duration of 6 minutes. The interval time between procedures will be of 30 minutes. It will take place for the same 15 weekdays, totalizing 45 sham stimulations.

Also known as: Placebo/Sham Stimulation
Placebo Group - Sham Stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 59 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Institute of Psychiatry - University of Sao Paulo

São Paulo, 05403903, Brazil

Location

Related Publications (20)

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    PMID: 17074942BACKGROUND
  • Carvalho AF, Sharma MS, Brunoni AR, Vieta E, Fava GA. The Safety, Tolerability and Risks Associated with the Use of Newer Generation Antidepressant Drugs: A Critical Review of the Literature. Psychother Psychosom. 2016;85(5):270-88. doi: 10.1159/000447034. Epub 2016 Aug 11.

    PMID: 27508501BACKGROUND
  • Meyer JP, Swetter SK, Kellner CH. Electroconvulsive Therapy in Geriatric Psychiatry: A Selective Review. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2018 Mar;41(1):79-93. doi: 10.1016/j.psc.2017.10.007. Epub 2017 Dec 13.

    PMID: 29412850BACKGROUND
  • Wischnewski M, Schutter DJ. Efficacy and Time Course of Theta Burst Stimulation in Healthy Humans. Brain Stimul. 2015 Jul-Aug;8(4):685-92. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2015.03.004. Epub 2015 Mar 26.

    PMID: 26014214BACKGROUND
  • McClintock SM, Reti IM, Carpenter LL, McDonald WM, Dubin M, Taylor SF, Cook IA, O'Reardon J, Husain MM, Wall C, Krystal AD, Sampson SM, Morales O, Nelson BG, Latoussakis V, George MS, Lisanby SH; National Network of Depression Centers rTMS Task Group; American Psychiatric Association Council on Research Task Force on Novel Biomarkers and Treatments. Consensus Recommendations for the Clinical Application of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) in the Treatment of Depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 2018 Jan/Feb;79(1):16cs10905. doi: 10.4088/JCP.16cs10905.

    PMID: 28541649BACKGROUND
  • Berlim MT, McGirr A, Rodrigues Dos Santos N, Tremblay S, Martins R. Efficacy of theta burst stimulation (TBS) for major depression: An exploratory meta-analysis of randomized and sham-controlled trials. J Psychiatr Res. 2017 Jul;90:102-109. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2017.02.015. Epub 2017 Feb 21.

    PMID: 28254709BACKGROUND
  • Brunoni AR, Chaimani A, Moffa AH, Razza LB, Gattaz WF, Daskalakis ZJ, Carvalho AF. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Acute Treatment of Major Depressive Episodes: A Systematic Review With Network Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2017 Feb 1;74(2):143-152. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.3644.

    PMID: 28030740BACKGROUND
  • Blumberger DM, Vila-Rodriguez F, Thorpe KE, Feffer K, Noda Y, Giacobbe P, Knyahnytska Y, Kennedy SH, Lam RW, Daskalakis ZJ, Downar J. Effectiveness of theta burst versus high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with depression (THREE-D): a randomised non-inferiority trial. Lancet. 2018 Apr 28;391(10131):1683-1692. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30295-2. Epub 2018 Apr 26.

    PMID: 29726344BACKGROUND
  • Cole EJ, Stimpson KH, Bentzley BS, Gulser M, Cherian K, Tischler C, Nejad R, Pankow H, Choi E, Aaron H, Espil FM, Pannu J, Xiao X, Duvio D, Solvason HB, Hawkins J, Guerra A, Jo B, Raj KS, Phillips AL, Barmak F, Bishop JH, Coetzee JP, DeBattista C, Keller J, Schatzberg AF, Sudheimer KD, Williams NR. Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression. Am J Psychiatry. 2020 Aug 1;177(8):716-726. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19070720. Epub 2020 Apr 7.

    PMID: 32252538BACKGROUND
  • Brunoni AR, Moffa AH, Sampaio-Junior B, Borrione L, Moreno ML, Fernandes RA, Veronezi BP, Nogueira BS, Aparicio LVM, Razza LB, Chamorro R, Tort LC, Fraguas R, Lotufo PA, Gattaz WF, Fregni F, Bensenor IM; ELECT-TDCS Investigators. Trial of Electrical Direct-Current Therapy versus Escitalopram for Depression. N Engl J Med. 2017 Jun 29;376(26):2523-2533. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1612999.

    PMID: 28657871BACKGROUND
  • Sampaio-Junior B, Tortella G, Borrione L, Moffa AH, Machado-Vieira R, Cretaz E, Fernandes da Silva A, Fraguas R, Aparicio LV, Klein I, Lafer B, Goerigk S, Bensenor IM, Lotufo PA, Gattaz WF, Brunoni AR. Efficacy and Safety of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation as an Add-on Treatment for Bipolar Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Feb 1;75(2):158-166. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.4040.

    PMID: 29282470BACKGROUND
  • Tavares DF, Suen P, Rodrigues Dos Santos CG, Moreno DH, Lane Valiengo LDC, Klein I, Borrione L, Marques Forte P, Brunoni AR, Alberto Moreno R. Treatment of mixed depression with theta-burst stimulation (TBS): results from a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2021 Dec;46(13):2257-2265. doi: 10.1038/s41386-021-01080-9. Epub 2021 Jun 30.

    PMID: 34193961BACKGROUND
  • Silva RMFD, Brunoni AR, Goerigk S, Batistuzzo MC, Costa DLDC, Diniz JB, Padberg F, D'Urso G, Miguel EC, Shavitt RG. Efficacy and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation as an add-on treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a randomized, sham-controlled trial. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2021 Apr;46(5):1028-1034. doi: 10.1038/s41386-020-00928-w. Epub 2021 Jan 15.

    PMID: 33452434BACKGROUND
  • Valiengo LDCL, Goerigk S, Gordon PC, Padberg F, Serpa MH, Koebe S, Santos LAD, Lovera RAM, Carvalho JB, van de Bilt M, Lacerda ALT, Elkis H, Gattaz WF, Brunoni AR. Efficacy and Safety of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Treating Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2020 Feb 1;77(2):121-129. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.3199.

    PMID: 31617873BACKGROUND
  • Beam W, Borckardt JJ, Reeves ST, George MS. An efficient and accurate new method for locating the F3 position for prefrontal TMS applications. Brain Stimul. 2009 Jan;2(1):50-4. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2008.09.006.

    PMID: 20539835BACKGROUND
  • HAMILTON M. A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1960 Feb;23(1):56-62. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.23.1.56. No abstract available.

    PMID: 14399272BACKGROUND
  • Rossi S, Hallett M, Rossini PM, Pascual-Leone A; Safety of TMS Consensus Group. Safety, ethical considerations, and application guidelines for the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation in clinical practice and research. Clin Neurophysiol. 2009 Dec;120(12):2008-2039. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.08.016. Epub 2009 Oct 14.

    PMID: 19833552BACKGROUND
  • Vilela JA, Crippa JA, Del-Ben CM, Loureiro SR. Reliability and validity of a Portuguese version of the Young Mania Rating Scale. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2005 Sep;38(9):1429-39. doi: 10.1590/s0100-879x2005000900019. Epub 2005 Aug 26.

    PMID: 16138228BACKGROUND
  • Li CT, Chen MH, Juan CH, Huang HH, Chen LF, Hsieh JC, Tu PC, Bai YM, Tsai SJ, Lee YC, Su TP. Efficacy of prefrontal theta-burst stimulation in refractory depression: a randomized sham-controlled study. Brain. 2014 Jul;137(Pt 7):2088-98. doi: 10.1093/brain/awu109. Epub 2014 May 10.

    PMID: 24817188BACKGROUND
  • Ramos MRF, Goerigk S, Aparecida da Silva V, Cavendish BA, Pinto BS, Papa CHG, Resende JV, Klein I, Carneiro AM, de Sousa JP, Vidal KSM, Valiengo LDCL, Razza LB, Aparicio LM, Martins L, Borrione L, Batista M, Moran NK, Dos Santos LA, Benatti R, Pelosof R, Padberg F, Brunoni AR. Accelerated Theta-Burst Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2025 May 1;82(5):442-450. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.0013.

Related Links

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depressive Disorder, MajorDepressive Disorder

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mood DisordersMental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Magnetic Field TherapyTherapeutics

Study Officials

  • Andre R Brunoni, MD, PhD

    University of Sao Paulo

    STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
MD, PhD

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

May 13, 2022

First Posted

May 24, 2022

Study Start

June 6, 2022

Primary Completion

January 1, 2024

Study Completion

April 1, 2024

Last Updated

April 3, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-04

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Participant data can only be accessed by study members. Such data will be stored in a database with an external hard drive (HD). The only way to access this database is to be affiliated with the institution where the study will be conducted and to request authorization from the study director, who coordinates access for the other researchers. During the study, each participant will be evaluated by a single professional and this professional from the research group will be the only one with conditions to add or change clinical data according to evaluation. After data analysis and the end of the research, supplementary materials containing a database preserving the anonymity of the participants will be made available.

Locations