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iTBS in Refractory Pediatric Depression

Evaluating the Efficacy and Tolerability of Targeted Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Youth

Status
Terminated
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03845504
Enrollment
4
Registered
2019-02-19
Start date
2018-11-19
Completion date
2019-10-09
Last updated
2023-12-12

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

Conditions

Depression

Keywords

depression, transcranial magnetic stimulation, adolescent, treatment refractory

Brief summary

This work will mark the first step in understanding the neural targets for rTMS in youth with difficult to treat depressive symptoms, creating benchmarks for optimizing the safety and efficacy of rTMS for pediatric populations through precision targeting, and encourage funding applications for larger sham- controlled randomized clinical studies.

Detailed description

Problem Statement: Depression is a global health problem with limited novel and targeted solutions. Currently available interventions (medication and psychotherapy) have failed to provide adequate clinical improvement in 40% of adolescents with depression and only produce remission in 30% of youth. There is a clear need to develop better targeted interventions for this growing population of youth. Specific Aims Aim 1: To examine the efficacy of a targeting strategy to optimize repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) delivered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents between 12-17 years of age. Hypothesis 1: Six weeks of open-label daily intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) sessions delivered to the left DLPFC will be effective at reducing depressive symptoms between baseline and 10- week follow-up. Hypothesis 2: iTBS over left DLPFC will decrease functional connectivity between left DLPFC and subcallosal cingulate cortex (SCC) and will reduce depression-related hyperconnectivity between nodes of the default mode network (DMN). Hypothesis 3: Higher anti-correlation between left DLPFC and SCC and lower cingulate glutamate concentrations will predict better clinical outcome following iTBS. Aim 2: To determine the tolerability of iTBS in adolescents between 12-17 years of age. Hypothesis 1: iTBS will be well tolerated without any more than minimal side effects. Hypothesis 2: iTBS will result in sufficient cortical excitability, as measured by 64-channel-EEG pre, during, and post iTBS, to induce an antidepressant effect but not induce seizures or other adverse events.

Interventions

DEVICEIntermittent Theta Burst Stimulation

Stimulation will be administered using the MagVenture MagPro rTMS Research System at currently FDA approved parameters (www.magvitatms.com). The TBS parameters will be 3-pulse 50-Hz bursts given every 200 ms (at 5 Hz) and an intensity of 80% active motor threshold, as measured from the right first dorsal interosseous muscle by a hand-held 700-mm figure-of-eight coil. rTMS will be applied for 9 min delivering a total of 1800 pulses/session.

Sponsors

Stanford University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
12 Years to 21 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* 10 participants ages 12-21 years of age * with at least moderate to severe depressive symptoms confirmed by the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R\>40) or Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17 ≥ 18) * able to commit to protocol schedule and provide Informed consent by a legal guardian and assent by a youth participant * have had at least one prior antidepressant treatment failure with adequate dose and duration

Exclusion criteria

* prior neurological diagnosis (neurodevelopmental disorders, strokes/traumatic brain injuries, brain tumor, epilepsy) * contraindications for TMS or MRI e.g. have any implanted metal * unstable medical conditions * acute suicide risk, defined as an attempt in past 6 months that required medical treatment, or history of ≥2 suicide attempts in the past 12 months, or has a clear cut plan for suicide * pregnancy, suspected pregnancy or not on birth control if sexually active; 6) Inability to locate and quantify a motor threshold * any factor that the PI determines to be reason for exclusion.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Children's Depression Rating Scale - Revised (CDRS-R) Score FromBaseline and week 6Standardized assessment to determine depression severity. The CDRS-R total score is the sum of the responses to 17 questions. Each question is graded on a 5- or 7-point scale. Total score ranges from 17-113. In general, higher values of CDRS-R total score represent greater severity of illness. Response to treatment is determined by a ≥ 50% reduction in score from baseline to end of treatment.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17)Baseline and week 6Standardized assessment to determine depression severity. HDRS-17, a clinician-rated measure of depressive symptoms that consists of 17 items rated using a semi-structured interview. Eight of the 17 HDRS-17 items are rated on a 5-point scale (0=absent; 1=doubtful or mild; 2=mild to moderate; 3=moderate to severe; 4=very severe), while the remaining 9 items are rated on a 3-point scale (0=absent; 1=doubtful or mild; 2=clearly present), yielding a minimum total score of 0 (least severe) and a maximum score of 52 (most severe). Response to treatment is determined by a ≥ 50% reduction in score from baseline to end of treatment.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Pre-assignment details

4 participants were screened for eligibility, 2 were assigned to the study arm.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation
Daily open-label sessions delivered to left DLPFC over up to 6 weeks using the MagVenture MagPro rTMS Research System.
2
Total2

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicIntermittent Theta Burst Stimulation
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
2 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
0 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
2 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
1 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
1 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 2
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 2
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 2

Outcome results

Primary

Change in Children's Depression Rating Scale - Revised (CDRS-R) Score From

Standardized assessment to determine depression severity. The CDRS-R total score is the sum of the responses to 17 questions. Each question is graded on a 5- or 7-point scale. Total score ranges from 17-113. In general, higher values of CDRS-R total score represent greater severity of illness. Response to treatment is determined by a ≥ 50% reduction in score from baseline to end of treatment.

Time frame: Baseline and week 6

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Intermittent Theta Burst StimulationChange in Children's Depression Rating Scale - Revised (CDRS-R) Score FromBaseline73.0 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 0
Intermittent Theta Burst StimulationChange in Children's Depression Rating Scale - Revised (CDRS-R) Score FromChange at week 6-31.5 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 3.5
Secondary

Change in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17)

Standardized assessment to determine depression severity. HDRS-17, a clinician-rated measure of depressive symptoms that consists of 17 items rated using a semi-structured interview. Eight of the 17 HDRS-17 items are rated on a 5-point scale (0=absent; 1=doubtful or mild; 2=mild to moderate; 3=moderate to severe; 4=very severe), while the remaining 9 items are rated on a 3-point scale (0=absent; 1=doubtful or mild; 2=clearly present), yielding a minimum total score of 0 (least severe) and a maximum score of 52 (most severe). Response to treatment is determined by a ≥ 50% reduction in score from baseline to end of treatment.

Time frame: Baseline and week 6

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Intermittent Theta Burst StimulationChange in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17)Baseline25.5 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 0.7
Intermittent Theta Burst StimulationChange in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17)Change at week 6-11.5 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.8

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