Augmentation of EMDR With tDCS in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia

Anxiety Clinical Trial

Official title:

Augmentation of EMDR With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Active, not recruiting

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04084795
• Other study ID #: 2019/8772/I
• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: September 25, 2019
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2026

Study information

• Verified date: April 2024
• Source: Parc de Salut Mar
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a generalized, widespread chronic pain disorder and has an estimated prevalence of 2%-4% in the general population. Current pharmacological and psychological interventions frequently produce limited benefits in FM patients. Due to FM's strong association with psychological trauma causing neurobiological alterations in stress response, a trauma-focused psychotherapy is an innovative alternative treatment option. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a first-line therapeutic tool for post-traumatic stress disorder and first evidence suggests that it is also beneficial for patients with FM. Given the complex etiology of FM, a combination of psychotherapy with other treatment options can maximize a potential therapeutic success. A possible candidate herby is Multifocal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive stimulation technique, which can modify neural activities related to pain and which has shown short-term positive effects on chronic pain and quality of life in FM patients. The patient sample will consist of 45 female patients meeting 2016 American College of Rheumatology criteria for FM based on a clinical interview. They will be randomized to 20 sessions of EMDR plus tDCS or EMDR plus sham-tDCS, or Treatment as Usual (TAU). Therapists, raters, and patients will be kept blind to MtCS treatment conditions. Evaluations will be at baseline, post treatment at 6 months, and follow-up at 12 months. Hypotheses are that EMDR improves pain intensity and clinical symptoms at short and long-term, and that tDCS enhances this effect, which will be superior to tDCS-sham.

Description:

Fibromyalgia (FM) affects 2-4% of the general population with typical symptoms such as generalized and widespread pain, sleep disturbances, problems in memory and attention, anxiety and depression. Pharmacological treatment and psychotherapeutic interventions have produced limited effects so far. Interestingly, lifetime psychosocial adversities are substantially elevated in FM but no interventions are currently offered. Given the complex etiology of FM, combining a psychotherapy with other treatment options can maximize the potential benefit of this intervention. The investigators will test in a marginalized catchment area in Barcelona, whether a trauma-oriented therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), in combination with a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, Multifocal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), can improve typical FM symptoms.

Outcomes

Primary outcomes:

1. To test whether EMDR plus tDCS or EMDR plus sham-tDCS in comparison to TAU group, improve pain intensity, depressive and anxious symptoms and trauma associated symptoms after therapy and follow-up.

2. To test whether an improvement in pain intensity, depressive and anxious symptoms and trauma associated symptoms can be augmented by simultaneous tDCS comparing EMDR plus tDCS with EMDR plus sham-tDCS after the intervention and whether this is maintained at the follow-up visit.

Secondary outcomes:

3. To test whether the EMDR plus tDCS or EMDR plus sham-tDCS incomparison to TAU group, improves more in subjective wellbeing after the treatment, and whether this is maintained at the follow-up visit.

Indicators to monitor clinical changes will be performed via various standard self- and hetero-applied scales by blind-to-treatment raters and information provided by patients and the medical chart IT system of our catchment area at baseline (visit 1), post treatment at 6 months (visit 2), and follow-up evaluation at 12 months (visit 3).

This multicenter collaborative project will involve the participation of the Psychiatric Department of the Parc de Salut Mar responsible for coordinating the study, the Rheumatologist Department of the Parc de Salut Mar responsible for patient recruitment, the Institut d'investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) responsible for randomization and data base management, and the Cognitive Neuro-Lab responsible for the MtCS stimulation.

Design

Within a double-blind randomized controlled design, patients will be randomized to one of the following three treatment arms:

EMDR with MtCS (20 sessions) vs EMDR with sham-MtCS (20 sessions) vs TAU. Psychotherapists, raters, and patients will be kept blind for MtCS treatment conditions until the end of the trial.

Participants

The patient sample will consist of 45 females fulfilling the 2016 American College of Rheumatology criteria for FM based on clinical interview (Wolfe et al, 2010).

Interventions

• EMDR therapy

• Multifocal transcranial Current Stimulation (MtCS)

• Treatment as Usual

Randomizations

The main analysis will be the comparison between patients assigned to EMDR vs not assigned to EMDR, and the secondary analysis will be, among patients assign to EMDR, the comparison between patients with FM assigned to active MtCS vs patients with FM assigned to sham MtCS. Therefore, the investigators will not randomly assign the individuals to one of the three arms but, rather, will randomize patients meeting the inclusion criteria twice: they will first randomize them to EMDR vs non-EMDR, and then will randomize those in the EMDR group to active MtCS or sham MtCS. For the sake of brevity, the investigators describe here only the randomization to EMDR vs non-EMDR, because the randomization to active MtCS vs. sham MtCS is identical. The first two patients will be randomly allocated to EMDR with p=2/3. For each subsequent patient, the following biased coin algorithm will be applied. If a group includes at least two more patients than it would have to have to maintain the ratio 2 EMDR / 1 control, the patient will be randomly assigned to the other group with p=0.6. Otherwise, the researchers will simulate that the new patient is allocated to EMDR and calculate the between-group standardized difference in pain intensity variable, will then simulate that the new patient is allocated to non-EMDR and recalculate the difference, and finally randomly allocate the patient to the group associated to the smallest difference with p=0.6. This strategy decreases prognostic imbalances between groups because it decreases differences in potential confounders but it still includes randomization.

Computation of sample size

The main tests of the study will consist in assessing whether patients assigned to EMDR show different levels of pain intensity variable using standard formula, the total sample size required to detect large to very large effect size differences (Cohen's d ≥ 1) between two groups with a significance level of 0.05 is 13 and 26. Assuming 15% dropouts, the researchers will aim to randomize 45 patients, i.e. 15 and 30 per arm.

Statistical Analysis

The distribution of socio-demographic and clinical characteristics between groups at baseline will be summarized using descriptive statistics. The change in clinical and functional variables from the baseline evaluation to post intervention will be analyzed using linear model t-tests, including as regressors of no interest the potential confounders (age, pain score, anxiety and depression severity, and number of years in education). The statistical software used for the analysis will be the latest available version of R. The investigators will conduct an intention to treat (ITT) analysis, and will use the "Last Observation Carried Forward" (LOCF) method for losses at follow-up.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Enrollment: 96
• Est. completion date: December 31, 2026
• Est. primary completion date: December 31, 2026
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Female
• Age group: 18 Years to 70 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age between 18 and 70 years old

• Mean pain score of at least 4 on the visual analog scale (VAS) in the two weeks preceding the clinical trial

• Presence of one or more traumatic events causing current trauma-related symptoms

• Current clinical symptoms of depression and/or anxiety

• 2 weeks of stable medication

Exclusion Criteria:

• Comorbid autoimmune or chronic inflammatory disease

• Neurological or serious medical diseases

• Bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia

• Suicidal ideation

• Previous EMDR therapy

• Substance abuse/dependency within 1 month prior to participation (except for nicotine abuse/dependency),

• Pending FM-related litigation or disability

• Metallic implants in the head

• Positive test for pregnancy

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Depressive Symptoms
• Fibromyalgia
• Myofascial Pain Syndromes
• Psychological Trauma

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy
EMDR is a psychotherapeutic approach using a standardized 8-phase protocol to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories, facilitating the access to and processing of traumatic memories. Patients will receive 20 individual EMDR sessions of 60 minutes each using the standard protocol, as well as a specific pain protocol and the fibromyalgia protocol. EMDR is an integrative psychotherapy that uses standardized protocols and elements of cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, and body-centered therapies, as well as dual stimulation (e.g., side-to-side eye movements). The current standard protocol includes eight phases: Patient history. Patient preparation. Patient assessment. Memory desensitization. Installing the positive cognition. Body scan. Closure. Reevaluation.

Other:
• Multifocal transcranial Current Stimulation
MtCS represents a promising intervention option, given its capacity to modulate cerebral excitability in a simple, safe manner. F3 anodal; AF3, FC1, FC3, FC5, F5, return montage will be used with the anode over the left DLPFC. Half of the patients will receive active stimulation and the other half sham stimulation. Active stimulation will consist of 1mA MtDCS for 20 minutes applied immediately before EMDR sessions. The same protocol and montage will be used for sham stimulation.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Spain	Centre Forum (Parc de Salut Mar)	Barcelona	Catalunya

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Parc de Salut Mar	Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Spain, 

References & Publications (12)

Benor D, Rossiter-Thornton J, Toussaint L. A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Wholistic Hybrid Derived From Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Emotional Freedom Technique (WHEE) for Self-Treatment of Pain, Depression, and Anxiety in Chronic Pain Patients. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017 Apr;22(2):268-277. doi: 10.1177/2156587216659400. Epub 2016 Jul 20. — View Citation

Bernardy K, Klose P, Busch AJ, Choy EH, Hauser W. Cognitive behavioural therapies for fibromyalgia. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Sep 10;2013(9):CD009796. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD009796.pub2. — View Citation

Borchers AT, Gershwin ME. Fibromyalgia: A Critical and Comprehensive Review. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2015 Oct;49(2):100-51. doi: 10.1007/s12016-015-8509-4. — View Citation

Burke NN, Finn DP, McGuire BE, Roche M. Psychological stress in early life as a predisposing factor for the development of chronic pain: Clinical and preclinical evidence and neurobiological mechanisms. J Neurosci Res. 2017 Jun;95(6):1257-1270. doi: 10.1002/jnr.23802. Epub 2016 Jul 12. — View Citation

Cohen H, Neumann L, Haiman Y, Matar MA, Press J, Buskila D. Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in fibromyalgia patients: overlapping syndromes or post-traumatic fibromyalgia syndrome? Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2002 Aug;32(1):38-50. doi: 10.1053/sarh.2002.33719. — View Citation

Collado A, Gomez E, Coscolla R, Sunyol R, Sole E, Rivera J, Altarriba E, Carbonell J, Castells X. Work, family and social environment in patients with Fibromyalgia in Spain: an epidemiological study: EPIFFAC study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014 Nov 11;14:513. doi: 10.1186/s12913-014-0513-5. — View Citation

Crettaz B, Marziniak M, Willeke P, Young P, Hellhammer D, Stumpf A, Burgmer M. Stress-induced allodynia--evidence of increased pain sensitivity in healthy humans and patients with chronic pain after experimentally induced psychosocial stress. PLoS One. 2013 Aug 7;8(8):e69460. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069460. eCollection 2013. — View Citation

Hampstead BM, Briceno EM, Mascaro N, Mourdoukoutas A, Bikson M. Current Status of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Posttraumatic Stress and Other Anxiety Disorders. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep. 2016 Jun;3(2):95-101. doi: 10.1007/s40473-016-0070-9. Epub 2016 Mar 28. — View Citation

Lumley MA, Schubiner H, Lockhart NA, Kidwell KM, Harte SE, Clauw DJ, Williams DA. Emotional awareness and expression therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and education for fibromyalgia: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Pain. 2017 Dec;158(12):2354-2363. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001036. — View Citation

O'Connell NE, Marston L, Spencer S, DeSouza LH, Wand BM. Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques for chronic pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018 Mar 16;3(3):CD008208. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008208.pub4. — View Citation

Wolfe F, Clauw DJ, Fitzcharles MA, Goldenberg DL, Katz RS, Mease P, Russell AS, Russell IJ, Winfield JB, Yunus MB. The American College of Rheumatology preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia and measurement of symptom severity. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2010 May;62(5):600-10. doi: 10.1002/acr.20140. — View Citation

Yavne Y, Amital D, Watad A, Tiosano S, Amital H. A systematic review of precipitating physical and psychological traumatic events in the development of fibromyalgia. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2018 Aug;48(1):121-133. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2017.12.011. Epub 2018 Jan 10. — View Citation

* Note: There are 12 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in pain assessed with the Visual Analogic Scale Questionnaire.	Severity and changes in pain intensity will be assessed with the Visual Analogic Scale (rated in a continuum from 0 to 10).	Change from baseline to visits at 6 and 12 months
Primary	Change in pain assessed with the Pain Dissability Index.	Severity and changes in pain intensity will be assessed with the Pain Disability Index (7 items rated from 0 to 10, making a total score from 0 to 70).	Change from baseline to visits at 6 and 12 months
Primary	Change in pain assessed with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire.	Severity and changes in pain intensity will be assessed with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (the first items is rated from 0 to 4, the second from 0 to 7 and the third from 0 to 5; whereas the other 7 items are rated from 0 to 10, with a cut-off score of 50).	Change from baseline to visits at 6 and 12 months
Primary	Change in depressive symptoms assessed by with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale	Severity and changes in depressive symptoms will be evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale from 0 and 3, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 21 and a cut-off score of 8 indicating probable clinical symptoms.	Change from baseline to visits at 6 and 12 months
Primary	Change in anxious symptoms evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.	Severity and changes in anxious symptoms will be evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale from 0 and 3, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 21 and a cut-off score of 8 indicating probable clinical symptoms.	Change from baseline to visits at 6 and 12 months
Primary	Change in trauma associated symptoms assessed with the Impact of Events Scale-Revised.	Psychological trauma will be evaluated using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. This scale consists in 22-item to determine frequency and impact of posttraumatic symptoms experienced, with subscales of intrusion, avoidance and hyperarousal, each scored on a 5-point Likert scale, yielding a score for each subscale and a total score. This scale has a scoring range of 0 to 88. On this test, scores that exceed 24 can be quite meaningful. High scores have the following associations: 24 or more PTSD is a clinical concern. Those with scores this high who do not have full PTSD will have partial PTSD or at least some of the symptoms; 33 and above represents the best cutoff for a probable diagnosis of PTSD; 37 or more this is high enough to suppress your immune system's functioning (even 10 years after an impact event).	Change from baseline to visits at 6 and 12 months
Secondary	Change in subjective wellbeing measured with the Satisfaction With Life Scale.	The improvement of subjective wellbeing will be evaluated using the Satisfaction With Life Scale. This scale is completed by 5 items rated from 1 (totally agree) to 5 (totally disagree), with a maximum score of 25.	Change from baseline to visits at 6 and 12 months
Secondary	Change in insomnia symptoms assessed with the Athens Insomnia Scale.	The improvement of insomnia symptoms will be evaluated using the Athens Insomnia Scale. This scale is completed by 8 items rated from 0 to 3, with a maximum score of 24.	Change from baseline to visits at 6 and 12 months

External Links

•   World Health Organization. 2012. Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades. 9a Modific. ed. Secretaría Ministerio de Sanidad, Política Social e Igualdad. Madrid.