Therapeutic Efficacy of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia Clinical Trial

Official title:

Therapeutic Efficacy of Cerebellar Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Patients With Schizophrenia

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01551979
• Other study ID #: 2011P000373
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: March 1, 2012
• Last updated: March 14, 2018
• Start date: February 2012
• Est. completion date: November 2015

Study information

• Verified date: March 2018
• Source: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The aim of this study is to look at the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a therapeutic intervention for patients with schizophrenia. The primary outcome is improvement in negative symptoms related to schizophrenia. The investigators are focusing on negative symptoms given their greater resistance to pharmacological and other established therapies. If the investigators trial were to show beneficial effects, its clinical significance would be great.

Description:

This study builds on the results of a previous phase 1, single-site study in which we demonstrated the safety of image-guided theta burst stimulation (TBS) form of rTMS over the cerebellar vermis (Demirtas-Tatlidede et al., 2010) in eigh patients with schizophrenia.

The primary goal of the present study is to assess efficacy of iTBS to the cerebellar vermis on positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. A second, added goal is to investigate the mechanisms of the expected clinical improvement.

Schizophrenia is a leading cause of mental disability and current treatments still remain only partially successful for many patients. Our underlying hypothesis is that modulation of the cerebellar vermis may enhance activity of the neural systems that sub-serve cognition and emotion, reestablish the disturbed cerebellar regulation in schizophrenic patients, and produce clinical improvement.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 22
• Est. completion date: November 2015
• Est. primary completion date: November 2015
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 65 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age between 18-65 years

• Diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-IV criteria (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) by a board-certified psychiatrist

Exclusion Criteria:

• Preexisting or progressive neurological disorders

• Prior neurological procedures

• Previous head injury

• Change in antipsychotic medication during the last 4 weeks

• Been an inpatient in a psychiatry clinic within the last month

• Any other axis 1 diagnosis

• Patients may not be actively enrolled in a separate intervention study

• Patients unable to undergo a brain MRI

• Any unstable medical condition

• History of seizures, diagnosis of epilepsy, history of abnormal (epileptiform_ EEG, or family history of treatment resistant epilepsy

• Possible pregnancy. All female participants of child bearing age are required to have a pregnancy test.

• Any metal in the brain, skull, or elsewhere unless approved by the responsible MD

• Any medical devices (ie. cardiac pacemaker, deep brain stimulator, medication infusion pump, cochlear implant, vagal nerve stimulator) unless otherwise approved by the responsible MD

• Substance abuse (alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, MDMA [methylenedioxymethamphetamine], ecstasy, PCP [phencyclidine], Angle dust) or dependence within the past six months

• No medication is an absolute exclusion from TMS. Medications will be reviewed by the responsible MD and a decision about inclusion will be made based on the following: the patient's past medical history, drug dose, history of recent medication changes or duration of treatment, and combination with other CNS (central nervous system) active drugs (the published TMS guidelines review of medications to be considered with TMS)

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Schizophrenia

Intervention

Device:
• Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
intermittent Theta Burst (iTBS) pattern (20 trains of 10 bursts given with 8s intervals) will be applied at 80% of active motor threshold. Each participant will receive 600 pulses per session. Sham participants will undergo the same procedures as those in the active rTMS group.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	Boston	Massachusetts

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (24)

Batini C, Buisseret-Delmas C, Corvisier J, Hardy O, Jassik-Gerschenfeld D. Brain stem nuclei giving fibers to lobules VI and VII of the cerebellar vermis. Brain Res. 1978 Sep 22;153(2):241-61. — View Citation

Demirtas-Tatlidede A, Freitas C, Cromer JR, Safar L, Ongur D, Stone WS, Seidman LJ, Schmahmann JD, Pascual-Leone A. Safety and proof of principle study of cerebellar vermal theta burst stimulation in refractory schizophrenia. Schizophr Res. 2010 Dec;124(1-3):91-100. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2010.08.015. — View Citation

Demirtas-Tatlidede A, Freitas C, Pascual-Leone A, Schmahmann JD. Modulatory effects of theta burst stimulation on cerebellar nonsomatic functions. Cerebellum. 2011 Sep;10(3):495-503. doi: 10.1007/s12311-010-0230-5. — View Citation

Fregni F, Boggio PS, Valle AC, Rocha RR, Duarte J, Ferreira MJ, Wagner T, Fecteau S, Rigonatti SP, Riberto M, Freedman SD, Pascual-Leone A. A sham-controlled trial of a 5-day course of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the unaffected hemisphere in stroke patients. Stroke. 2006 Aug;37(8):2115-22. Epub 2006 Jun 29. — View Citation

Fregni F, Freedman S, Pascual-Leone A. Recent advances in the treatment of chronic pain with non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. Lancet Neurol. 2007 Feb;6(2):188-91. Review. — View Citation

Fregni F, Thome-Souza S, Bermpohl F, Marcolin MA, Herzog A, Pascual-Leone A, Valente KD. Antiepileptic effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with cortical malformations: an EEG and clinical study. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2005;83(2-3):57-62. Epub 2005 Jun 30. — View Citation

George MS, Nahas Z, Kozel FA, Goldman J, Molloy M, Oliver N. Improvement of depression following transcranial magnetic stimulation. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 1999 Dec;1(2):114-24. Review. — View Citation

George MS, Wassermann EM, Williams WA, Callahan A, Ketter TA, Basser P, Hallett M, Post RM. Daily repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improves mood in depression. Neuroreport. 1995 Oct 2;6(14):1853-6. — View Citation

Gershon AA, Dannon PN, Grunhaus L. Transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of depression. Am J Psychiatry. 2003 May;160(5):835-45. Review. — View Citation

Hajak G, Marienhagen J, Langguth B, Werner S, Binder H, Eichhammer P. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in schizophrenia: a combined treatment and neuroimaging study. Psychol Med. 2004 Oct;34(7):1157-63. — View Citation

Hashimoto M, Ohtsuka K. Transcranial magnetic stimulation over the posterior cerebellum during visually guided saccades in man. Brain. 1995 Oct;118 ( Pt 5):1185-93. — View Citation

Heath RG, Dempesy CW, Fontana CJ, Myers WA. Cerebellar stimulation: effects on septal region, hippocampus, and amygdala of cats and rats. Biol Psychiatry. 1978 Oct;13(5):501-29. — View Citation

Heath RG. Modulation of emotion with a brain pacemamer. Treatment for intractable psychiatric illness. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1977 Nov;165(5):300-17. — View Citation

Huber TJ, Schneider U, Rollnik J. Gender differences in the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res. 2003 Aug 30;120(1):103-5. — View Citation

Jardri R, Lucas B, Delevoye-Turrell Y, Delmaire C, Delion P, Thomas P, Goeb JL. An 11-year-old boy with drug-resistant schizophrenia treated with temporo-parietal rTMS. Mol Psychiatry. 2007 Apr;12(4):320. — View Citation

Jin Y, Potkin SG, Kemp AS, Huerta ST, Alva G, Thai TM, Carreon D, Bunney WE Jr. Therapeutic effects of individualized alpha frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation (alphaTMS) on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 2006 Jul;32(3):556-61. Epub 2005 Oct 27. — View Citation

Martin PI, Naeser MA, Theoret H, Tormos JM, Nicholas M, Kurland J, Fregni F, Seekins H, Doron K, Pascual-Leone A. Transcranial magnetic stimulation as a complementary treatment for aphasia. Semin Speech Lang. 2004 May;25(2):181-91. Review. — View Citation

Ohtsuka K, Enoki T. Transcranial magnetic stimulation over the posterior cerebellum during smooth pursuit eye movements in man. Brain. 1998 Mar;121 ( Pt 3):429-35. — View Citation

Papez JW. A proposed mechanism of emotion. 1937. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1995 Winter;7(1):103-12. — View Citation

Pascual-Leone A, Rubio B, Pallardó F, Catalá MD. Rapid-rate transcranial magnetic stimulation of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in drug-resistant depression. Lancet. 1996 Jul 27;348(9022):233-7. — View Citation

Rollnik JD, Huber TJ, Mogk H, Siggelkow S, Kropp S, Dengler R, Emrich HM, Schneider U. High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenic patients. Neuroreport. 2000 Dec 18;11(18):4013-5. — View Citation

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):2008-39. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2009.08.016. Epub 2009 Oct 14. Review. — View Citation

Schmahmann JD. The role of the cerebellum in cognition and emotion: personal reflections since 1982 on the dysmetria of thought hypothesis, and its historical evolution from theory to therapy. Neuropsychol Rev. 2010 Sep;20(3):236-60. doi: 10.1007/s11065-010-9142-x. Epub 2010 Sep 7. Review. — View Citation

Schutter DJ, van Honk J, d'Alfonso AA, Peper JS, Panksepp J. High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic over the medial cerebellum induces a shift in the prefrontal electroencephalography gamma spectrum: a pilot study in humans. Neurosci Lett. 2003 Jan 16;336(2):73-6. — View Citation

* Note: There are 24 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change From Baseline on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Positive Subscale	Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Positive Subscale, a 7 item subscale measuring the presence/absence and severity of positive symptoms of schizophrenia. The minimum score is 7 and the maximum score is 49, with higher values representing greater symptom severity. Change from baseline on the PANSS Positive Subscale can range from -42 to +42; negative values represent an improvement in symptom severity, and positive values represent worsening symptom severity. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed at baseline, after 5 days of treatment, 1 week post treatment, and 3 weeks post treatment.	Before treatment (baseline), last day of treatment (after 5 days of treatment), 1 and 3 weeks post treatment
Primary	Change From Baseline on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Negative Subscale	Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Negative Subscale, a 7 item subscale measuring the presence/absence and severity of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The minimum score is 7 and the maximum score is 49, with higher values representing greater symptom severity. Change from baseline on the PANSS Negative Subscale can range from -42 to +42; negative values represent an improvement in symptom severity, and positive values represent worsening symptom severity. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed at baseline, after 5 days of treatment, 1 week post treatment, and 3 weeks post treatment.	Before treatment (baseline), last day of treatment (after 5 days of treatment), 1 and 3 weeks post treatment
Primary	Change From Baseline on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) General Subscale	Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) General Subscale, a 16 item subscale measuring the presence/absence and severity of general psychopathology of schizophrenia. The minimum score is 16 and the maximum score is 112, with higher values representing greater psychopathology severity. Change from baseline on the PANSS General Subscale can range from -96 to +96; negative values represent an improvement in symptom severity, and positive values represent worsening symptom severity. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed at baseline, after 5 days of treatment, 1 week post treatment, and 3 weeks post treatment.	Before treatment (baseline), last day of treatment (after 5 days of treatment), 1 and 3 weeks post treatment
Primary	Change From Baseline on the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Severity of Illness	Treatment response was evaluated with the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) Scale, which is comprised of two companion one-item measures that use 7-point scales to evaluate severity of psychopathology and improvement from the initiation of treatment; each component is rated separately and the CGI does not yield a global score. The CGI Severity of Illness is a 7-point subscale in which a clinician rates the severity of the patient's illness at the time of assessment. Ratings range from 1 to 7 and higher values represent more severe psychopathology: 1 indicates a normal and not at all ill patient and 7 indicates among the most extremely ill patients. Change from baseline on the CGI Severity of Illness subscale can range from -6 to +6, with negative values representing an improvement in psychopathology and positive values representing worsening psychopathology. Severity of Illness was assessed at baseline, after 5 days of treatment, 1 week post treatment, and 3 weeks post treatment.	Before treatment (baseline), last day of treatment (after 5 days of treatment), 1 and 3 weeks post treatment
Primary	Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Global Improvement	Treatment response was evaluated with the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) Scale, which is comprised of two companion one-item measures that use 7-point scales to evaluate severity of psychopathology and improvement from the initiation of treatment; each component is rated separately and the CGI does not yield a global score. The CGI Global Improvement is a 7-point subscale in which a clinician assesses how much a patient's illness has changed compared to baseline. Ratings range from 1 to 7, with 1 indicating very much improved and 7 indicating very much worse. Change from baseline on the CGI Global Improvement subscale can range from -6 to +6, with negative values representing an improvement in psychopathology and positive values representing worsening psychopathology. Global Improvement was assessed after 5 days of treatment, 1 week post treatment, and 3 weeks post treatment.	Last day of treatment (after 5 days of treatment), 1 and 3 weeks post treatment
Secondary	Change From Baseline on the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia	The Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia is a 9-item scale that assesses depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Each item is rated separately and ratings range from 0 to 3. Higher values represent more severe depressive symptoms: 0 indicates an absent symptom and 3 indicates a severe symptom. The overall Calgary Depression Scale score is computed by summing each item. The total Calgary Depression Scale score ranges from 0 to 27, with higher values representing more severe depression in patients with schizophrenia. Change from baseline on the Calgary Depression Scale can range from -27 to +27, with negative values representing an improvement in depressive symptoms and positive values representing worsening depressive symptom severity. Depression was assessed at baseline, after 5 days of treatment, 1 week post treatment, and 3 weeks post treatment.	Before treatment (baseline), last day of treatment (after 5 days of treatment), 1 and 3 weeks post treatment

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