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Bilateral DLPC tDCS in Drug-resistant Migraine

Bilateral DLPC tDCS: a New Potential Neuromodulatory Strategy in Drug-resistant Migraine

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06079801
Enrollment
36
Registered
2023-10-12
Start date
2021-10-01
Completion date
2023-08-31
Last updated
2023-10-17

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

Conditions

Migraine

Keywords

migraine, drug-resistant, tDCS, DLPC, Neuromodulation, anti CGRP

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to study and describe the effects of bilateral tDCS applied to dorso-lateral-prefrontal cortex (DLPC) in patients with drug-resistant migraine in terms of reduction in frequency of pain, impact of pain in daily life, quality of sleep and psychological measures. We finally planned to include high frequency and chronic migraine patients. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Will bilateral DLPC tDCS be feasible, well tolerated and safe in drug resistant migraine patients? * Will bilateral DLPC tDCS be effective in reducing pain frequency, intensity and its impact in daily life activities? * Will bilateral DLPC tDCS be effective in ameliorating sleep and psychological associated symptoms? * Will bilateral DLPC tDCS be such effective in reducing pain frequency, intensity and its impact in daily life activities as anti-CGRP treatments? Participants will undergo 2 tDCS sessions daily for 2 consecutive weeks. Patients will be blinded to treatment and will be divided in two groups (real vs placebo). A third group of patients, age-matched to the other two, will undergo anti-CGRP treatment. Patients will be asked to complete Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROMs) scales at baseline, one week after the end of the treatment and at 6 months after the end of the treatment. Researchers (blinded to the treatment) will compare the group that underwent real tDCS treatment vs the one that underwent placebo tDCS vs the one that underwent anti-CGRP drugs to see if bilateral DLPC tDCS is effective in reducing migraine frequency, intensity and impact and if bilateral DLPC tDCS is such effective as anti-CGRP treatment.

Interventions

DEVICETranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

TDCS was delivered by a DC-Stimulator (Newronika, Italy) over both DLPC. The electrodes (35 cm2) were soaked in 0.9% NaCl. The anode was positioned on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the cathode on the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

DRUGanti-CGRP-mAbs

CGRP-mAbs have been the first target-driven treatment to be approved for migraine prevention. Their efficacy and safety have been demonstrated in randomized controlled trials (RCT) as well as, in real-world evidence (RWE) studies

Sponsors

Clínica de Intervención en Neurociencias
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* diagnosis of high-frequency and/or chronic migraines, according to the diagnostic criteria of the ICHD-III, * failure to more than 3 preventive drugs * stable pharmacological treatment (\> 6 months without changes), * absence of other neurological or medical pathological conditions, * written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

* seizures * significant cognitive impairment that prevents following orders and understanding instructions (Mini-Mental State Examination \< 23) * pregnancy * aphasia or limitations in communication, * metallic cranial implants * another neurological or psychiatric pathology * diagnosis of another type of migraine.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Migraine attacks monthly frequencybaseline, 2 weeks after the end of the treatment, 6 monthsPatients will report migraine monthly frequency for the 3 different time-points
Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) scorebaseline, 2 weeks after the end of the treatment, 6 monthsHIT-6 is a tool used to measure the impact headaches have on patient's ability to function on the job, at school, at home and in social situations.
Pain killer drugs monthly takenbaseline, 2 weeks after the end of the treatment, 6 monthsPatients will report pain-killer drugs taken during a month for the 3 different time-points

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)baseline, 2 weeks after the end of the treatment, 6 monthsPSQI is a self-report questionnaire that assesses sleep quality over a 1-month time interval. The measure consists of 19 individual items, creating 7 components that produce one global score, and takes 5-10 minutes to complete.
Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)baseline, 2 weeks after the end of the treatment, 6 monthsThe Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) consists of 53 items covering nine symptom dimensions: Somatization, Obsession-Compulsion, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, Anxiety, Hostility, Phobic anxiety, Paranoid ideation and Psychoticism; and three global indices of distress: Global Severity Index, Positive Symptom Distress Index, and Positive Symptom Total. The global indices measure current or past level of symptomatology, intensity of symptoms, and number of reported symptoms, respectively.

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

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