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Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in the Management of Suicidal Ideation

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in the Management of Suicidal Ideation in Treatment-resistant Depression : a Pilot Study

Status
Recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06009523
Acronym
tDCS-IDSDEP
Enrollment
50
Registered
2023-08-24
Start date
2023-10-26
Completion date
2027-12-01
Last updated
2025-06-05

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

Conditions

Depression and Suicide

Keywords

tDCS

Brief summary

The main objective of this study is to demonstrate that 15 transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) sessions of 30 minutes at 2 mA intensity are effective to reduce suicidal ideation

Detailed description

After being informed about the study and potential risks, all patients giving written informed consent will undergo a screening visit to determine eligibility for study entry. Patient who meet the eligibility requirements be able to start the 15 tDCS sessions at the rate of one session per day. After the last session, patients will perform three follow-up visits on D19, D49 and D79

Interventions

DEVICETranscranial direct current stimulation

1 stimulation per day during 15 days.

Sponsors

Centre Hospitalier Henri Laborit
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age over 18 years * Written informed consent * Diagnosis of recurrent or isolated depressive episode according to DSM IV criteria (A.P.A. 1994). * Stable antidepressant treatment for 3 weeks * MADRS score ≥ 20 * SSI score \> 3 * Subject affiliated to a health insurance system * Woman with effective contraception and agreeing to maintain it throughout the study period.

Exclusion criteria

* Depression with psychotic features Axis I (DSM IV) co-morbid diagnosis of schizophrenia, alcohol and/or other substance dependence (or abuse) (lifetime) * Patient who has already undergone an electroconvulsive therapy course for the current episode and does not respond to this treatment * Patient deprived of liberty * Patient with high suicide risk (item 10 MADRS \> 4) in the absence of hospitalization * Contraindication to tDCS: intracerebral metallic implant (with the exception of dental implants), cardiac pacemaker, active or non-implanted devices in the region of the head, acute eczema in the planned stimulation area * Pregnant, parturient or breastfeeding woman * Simultaneous participation in another interventional research

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from Baseline in suicidal ideation on the Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI) at Day 19Baseline and Day 19The main judgment criterion is the evolution of suicidal ideation which is evaluated by the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI) between Baseline and Day 19

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change from Baseline of clinical response defined by the MADRS (Montgomery and Asberg depression scale) at Day 49 post-tDCS sessionsBaseline and Day 49The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was developed to provide an assay of depressive symptom severity for use in the investigation of treatment response to antidepressant medication. The MADRS takes 20-60 minutes to be completed by interview. MADRS-S has 9 items , and each item is scored between 0 (minimum) and 6 (maximum). The scores for all 9 items were added, and cutoff scores for the MADRS-S were defined for level of depression (depression: 0-12 = minimal, 13-19 = mild, 20-34 = moderate, ≥ 35 = severe).
Change from Baseline of clinical response defined by the MADRS (Montgomery and Asberg depression scale) at Day 79 post-tDCS sessionsBaseline and Day 79The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was developed to provide an assay of depressive symptom severity for use in the investigation of treatment response to antidepressant medication. The MADRS takes 20-60 minutes to be completed by interview. MADRS-S has 9 items , and each item is scored between 0 (minimum) and 6 (maximum). The scores for all 9 items were added, and cutoff scores for the MADRS-S were defined for level of depression (depression: 0-12 = minimal, 13-19 = mild, 20-34 = moderate, ≥ 35 = severe).
Change from Baseline in suicidal ideation assessed by the implicit association test at Day 19 post-tDCS sessionsBaseline and Day 19The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a computer-based test measuring implicit mental associations between two concepts. The IAT uses reaction times to categorize stimuli that appear in the middle of the screen into two target categories, in our study: Death (suicide, dies, funeral, lifeless, deceased) and Life. (survive, grow, breathe, alive, live) and/or in two attribute categories Me (me, myself, my, mine, I) and Not Me (them, they, their, his, others) . and subjects rapidly classify them by pressing one of two keys (the category of right (by pressing the I key) or left (by pressing the E key). According to the logic of the IAT, D positive scores represent a strong implicit association between Me and Death. We will use Greenwald's improved algorithm to analyze responses.
Change from Baseline in suicidal ideation assessed by the implicit association test at Day 49 post-tDCS sessionsBaseline and Day 49The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a computer-based test measuring implicit mental associations between two concepts. The IAT uses reaction times to categorize stimuli that appear in the middle of the screen into two target categories, in our study: Death (suicide, dies, funeral, lifeless, deceased) and Life. (survive, grow, breathe, alive, live) and/or in two attribute categories Me (me, myself, my, mine, I) and Not Me (them, they, their, his, others) . and subjects rapidly classify them by pressing one of two keys (the category of right (by pressing the I key) or left (by pressing the E key). According to the logic of the IAT, D positive scores represent a strong implicit association between Me and Death. We will use Greenwald's improved algorithm to analyze responses.
Change from Baseline of clinical response defined by the MADRS (Montgomery and Asberg depression scale) at Day 19 post-tDCS sessionsBaseline and Day 19The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) was developed to provide an assay of depressive symptom severity for use in the investigation of treatment response to antidepressant medication. The MADRS takes 20-60 minutes to be completed by interview. MADRS-S has 9 items , and each item is scored between 0 (minimum) and 6 (maximum). The scores for all 9 items were added, and cutoff scores for the MADRS-S were defined for level of depression (depression: 0-12 = minimal, 13-19 = mild, 20-34 = moderate, ≥ 35 = severe).
Change from Baseline in quality-of-life assessed by the SF36 (Short Form (36) Health Survey) at Day 19 post-tDCS sessionsBaseline and Day 19The Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) is an indicator of overall health status. The SF-36 is validated and has eight scaled scores; the scores are weighted sums of the questions in each section. Scores range from 0 - 100, so that the lowest and highest possible scores are 0 and 100, respectively. Lower scores = more disability, higher scores = less disability. Sections : vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, perceptions, physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning, mental health.
Change from Baseline in quality-of-life assessed by the SF36 (Short Form (36) Health Survey) at Day 49 post-tDCS sessionsBaseline and Day 49The Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) is an indicator of overall health status. The SF-36 is validated and has eight scaled scores; the scores are weighted sums of the questions in each section. Scores range from 0 - 100, so that the lowest and highest possible scores are 0 and 100, respectively. Lower scores = more disability, higher scores = less disability. Sections : vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, perceptions, physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning, mental health.
Change from Baseline in quality-of-life assessed by the SF36 (Short Form (36) Health Survey) at Day 79 post-tDCS sessionsBaseline and Day 79The Medical Outcomes Study Questionnaire Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) is an indicator of overall health status. The SF-36 is validated and has eight scaled scores; the scores are weighted sums of the questions in each section. Scores range from 0 - 100, so that the lowest and highest possible scores are 0 and 100, respectively. Lower scores = more disability, higher scores = less disability. Sections : vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general health, perceptions, physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning, mental health.
Change from Baseline in suicidal ideation assessed by the implicit association test at Day 79 post-tDCS sessionsBaseline and Day 79The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a computer-based test measuring implicit mental associations between two concepts. The IAT uses reaction times to categorize stimuli that appear in the middle of the screen into two target categories, in our study: Death (suicide, dies, funeral, lifeless, deceased) and Life. (survive, grow, breathe, alive, live) and/or in two attribute categories Me (me, myself, my, mine, I) and Not Me (them, they, their, his, others) . and subjects rapidly classify them by pressing one of two keys (the category of right (by pressing the I key) or left (by pressing the E key). According to the logic of the IAT, D positive scores represent a strong implicit association between Me and Death. We will use Greenwald's improved algorithm to analyze responses.

Countries

France

Contacts

Primary ContactGhina Harika-Germaneau
ghina.harika-germaneau@ch-poitiers.fr05.16.52.61.18

Outcome results

None listed

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