Efficacy of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) as an add-on Treatment for Resistant OCD

Right Prefrontal High Frequency rTMS in Treatment of Resistant OCD: a Double Blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

Status

Completed

Phases

Phase 2

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT01043900

Enrollment

Registered

2010-01-07

Start date

2003-08-31

Completion date

2009-08-31

Last updated

2010-01-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Keywords

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, rTMS, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, treatment, randomized controlled trials

Brief summary

OCD is a chronic condition with a high rate of poor responders to conventional treatments, such as antidepressants and psychotherapy. Chronic symptoms can lead to important social impairment and suffering for patients and families. The present study aims to investigate if the addition of transcranial magnetic stimulation can provide enhanced response to conventional treatment. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive technique that can influence specific areas of the brain and has very few side effects.

Detailed description

The treatment with transcranial magnetic stimulation requires attendance to hospital daily sessions for 6 consecutive weeks. Each session lasts up to 30 minutes. Side effects include scalp discomfort and mild headache. No anesthesia is required. Stimulation aims the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region previously studied to treat depression symptoms with positive results. The present technique has never been employed in previous studies, but risks are insignificant

Interventions

PROCEDURErepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)

30 daily sessions: each with 40 trains of 5 seconds at 10Hz, with a 25 second inter-train interval, at an intensity of 110% of motor threshold. Site: Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* resistant OCD patients: maximum 25% reduction in Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores after at least 3 adequate trials with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRI) (including clomipramine) and 20 hours of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or documented intolerance to either treatment.

Exclusion criteria

* metallic cerebral implants * history of severe trauma or brain injury * organic brain disease * severe somatic disease * history of drug dependence * chronic psychosis * present manic state

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
A reduction of at least 30 % in the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) scores and an improved or much improved score on the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) improvement scale by the end of follow-up	3 - 6 months

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026