NCT05445466

Brief Summary

Mania is a core symptom of bipolar disorder involving periods of euphoria. Decreased inhibitory control, increased risk-taking behaviors, and aberrant reward processing are some of the more recognized symptoms of bipolar disorder and are included in the diagnostic criteria for mania. Current drug therapies for mania are frequently intolerable, ineffective, and carry significant risk for side effects. Presently there are no neurobiologically informed therapies that treat or prevent mania. However, using a newly validated technique termed lesion network mapping, researchers demonstrated that focal brain lesions having a causal role in the development of mania in people without a psychiatric history can occur in different brain locations, such as the right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and right inferior temporal gyrus (ITG). This lesion network evidence converges with existing cross-sectional and longitudinal observations in bipolar mania that have identified specific disruptions in network communication between the amygdala and ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex. The OFC is associated with inhibitory control, risk-taking behavior, and reward learning which are major components of bipolar mania. Thus, the association between OFC with mania symptoms, inhibitory control, risk-taking behavior, and reward processing suggests that this region could be targeted using non-invasive brain stimulation.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
14

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Dec 2022

Typical duration for not_applicable

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

June 17, 2022

Completed
19 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 6, 2022

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

December 16, 2022

Completed
2.5 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 1, 2025

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 1, 2025

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

November 6, 2025

Completed
Last Updated

November 6, 2025

Status Verified

October 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

2.5 years

First QC Date

June 17, 2022

Results QC Date

June 24, 2025

Last Update Submit

October 22, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

Brain StimulationMania

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

  • Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)

    Measuring total Mania scores; 11 items used to access severity of mania (total score 0-60); higher scores represent higher severity of symptoms

    Change from baseline to 5 Day follow-up

  • Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)

    Measuring total Mania scores; 11 items used to access severity of mania (total score 0-60); higher scores represent higher severity of symptoms

    Change from baseline to 1-month follow-up

  • Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)

    Measuring total Mania scores; 11 items used to access severity of mania (total score 0-60); higher scores represent higher severity of symptoms

    Change from baseline to 3-month follow-up

  • Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale (ASRM)

    The ASRM is a 5-item self rating mania scale, assessing the presence and severity of manic symptoms. The scores for all five items are added together, resulting in a total score that can range from 0 to 20. A score of 6 or higher indicates a high probability of a manic or hypomanic condition.

    Change from baseline to 5 Day follow-up

  • Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale (ASRM)

    The ASRM is a 5-item self rating mania scale, assessing the presence and severity of manic symptoms. The scores for all five items are added together, resulting in a total score that can range from 0 to 20. A score of 6 or higher indicates a high probability of a manic or hypomanic condition.

    Change from baseline to 1-month follow-up

  • Altman Self-Rating Mania Scale (ASRM)

    The ASRM is a 5-item self rating mania scale, assessing the presence and severity of manic symptoms. The scores for all five items are added together, resulting in a total score that can range from 0 to 20. A score of 6 or higher indicates a high probability of a manic or hypomanic condition.

    Change from baseline to 3-month follow-up

  • Psychiatric Hospitalizations for Mania Post Study Entry

    Psychiatric hospitalization for mania. Count of hospitalizations from baseline to end of study period assessed at Day 5, 1 Month \& 3 Month.

    Cumulative count of hospitalizations for mania from baseline to end of study

Secondary Outcomes (30)

  • Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)

    Change from baseline to 5 Day follow-up

  • Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)

    Change from baseline to 1-month follow-up

  • Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)

    Change from baseline to 3-month follow-up

  • The Go/No Go Task

    Change from baseline to 5 Day follow-up

  • The Go/No Go Task

    Change from baseline to 1-month follow-up

  • +25 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (3)

HD-tDCS

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

HD-tDCS; Two, twenty-minute sessions of tDCS to the OFC for 5 days (10 total sessions)

Device: High-Definition Transcranial Electrical-Current Stimulation

HD-tACS (alpha, 10 Hz)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

10 Hz HD-tACS; Two, twenty-minute sessions of tACS to the OFC for 5 days (10 total sessions).

Device: High-Definition Transcranial Alternate-Current Stimulation

Personalized Beta-Gamma HD-tACS

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Personalized HD-tACS; Two, twenty-minute sessions of tACS to the OFC for 5 days (10 total sessions).

Device: High-Definition Personalized Beta-Gamma Electrical Stimulation

Interventions

Non-frequency dependent transcranial electrical stimulation condition for 5 days of twice a day treatment

Also known as: Soterix Medical, GTEN 200
HD-tDCS

Active-control stimulation condition will target alpha (10 Hz) for 5 days of twice a day treatment

Also known as: Soterix Medical, GTEN 200
HD-tACS (alpha, 10 Hz)

Personalized beta-gamma electrical stimulation for 5 days of twice a day treatment

Also known as: Soterix Medical, GTEN 200
Personalized Beta-Gamma HD-tACS

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

  • Aged 18-65 years of age
  • Proficient in English
  • Able to give informed consent
  • Meet diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder or schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type as verified by the SCID
  • History of mania ( \>1 lifetime episode)
  • Experiencing mild to moderate symptoms of mania
  • No changes to mood stabilizing medications for a period of 2 weeks prior to participation
  • Has not recently participated in tES/TMS treatments

You may not qualify if:

  • Substance abuse or dependence (w/in past 6 months)
  • Those who are pregnant/breastfeeding
  • History of head injury with \> 15 minutes of loss of consciousness/mal sequelae
  • DSM-V intellectual disability
  • Having a non-removable ferromagnetic metal within the body (particularly in the head)
  • History of seizures

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Bipolar DisorderPsychotic DisordersMania

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Bipolar and Related DisordersMood DisordersMental DisordersSchizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic DisordersNeurobehavioral ManifestationsNeurologic ManifestationsNervous System DiseasesSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Limitations and Caveats

Overall recruitment numbers were low which led to small numbers of subjects analyzed.

Results Point of Contact

Title
Dr. Paulo Lizano
Organization
BIDMC

Study Officials

  • Paulo Lizano, MD,PhD

    Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
No
Restrictive Agreement
No

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
Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

June 17, 2022

First Posted

July 6, 2022

Study Start

December 16, 2022

Primary Completion

June 1, 2025

Study Completion

June 1, 2025

Last Updated

November 6, 2025

Results First Posted

November 6, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-10

Locations