Personalized Ultrasonic Brain Stimulation for Depression
Primary Purpose
Major Depressive Episode
Status
Recruiting
Phase
Phase 1
Locations
United States
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
Diadem prototype
Sponsored by

About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Major Depressive Episode
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 18-65, any gender
- Primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder
- Current moderate-to-severe depressive episode, without psychotic features, lasting at least 2 months
- Self-rated 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS) total score > 10
- Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and avoid changes to psychiatric treatments (medications, psychotherapy) for the duration of the study
- For females of reproductive potential: negative pregnancy test or use of highly effective contraception for at least 1 month prior to baseline; agreement to use such a method throughout the study
- Capacity to provide informed consent; provision of a signed and dated consent form
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of serious brain injury or other neurologic disorder
- Poorly managed general medical condition
- Pregnant or breast feeding
- Implanted device in the head or neck
- MRI intolerance or contraindication
- Brain stimulation (e.g., ECT, TMS, VNS) in the past month
- Suicidal ideation (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale screen item #2, past month)
- Lifetime history of a serious suicide attempt
- Moderate-to-severe substance use disorder (past 3 months)
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (past month)
- Posttraumatic stress disorder (past month)
- Schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (lifetime)
- Neurocognitive disorder (past year)
- Personality disorder as a current focus of treatment
- Clinically inappropriate for participation in the study as determined by the study team
Sites / Locations
- University of UtahRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm Type
Experimental
Sham Comparator
Arm Label
Active stimulation
Sham stimulation
Arm Description
Personalized low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation of deep brain target (subgenual cingulate or alternative targets)
Personalized low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation of lateral ventricle
Outcomes
Primary Outcome Measures
Target engagement: MRI quantification of brain activation
Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) or arterial spin labeling (ASL) response to active versus sham stimulation
Target engagement: MRI quantification of brain connectivity
Resting functional connectivity of target in response to active versus sham stimulation
Mood effects: momentary mood change
4-item Affect Change Scale: valence, arousal, depression, anxiety
Mood effects: subjective mood state
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Extended (PANAS-X)
Secondary Outcome Measures
Full Information
1. Study Identification
Unique Protocol Identification Number
NCT05301036
Brief Title
Personalized Ultrasonic Brain Stimulation for Depression
Official Title
Personalized Ultrasonic Brain Stimulation for Depression: A Pilot Study of Target Engagement and Mood Effects
Study Type
Interventional
2. Study Status
Record Verification Date
September 2023
Overall Recruitment Status
Recruiting
Study Start Date
July 15, 2022 (Actual)
Primary Completion Date
July 14, 2024 (Anticipated)
Study Completion Date
July 14, 2024 (Anticipated)
3. Sponsor/Collaborators
Responsible Party, by Official Title
Principal Investigator
Name of the Sponsor
University of Utah
4. Oversight
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product
No
Data Monitoring Committee
No
5. Study Description
Brief Summary
This study will evaluate a new form of non-invasive brain stimulation for individuals with depression. Personalized low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation will first be delivered using a range of stimulation parameters during psychological and physiological monitoring. A well-tolerated stimulation protocol will then be selected for subsequent testing in a blinded randomized sham-controlled cross-over trial to evaluate brain target engagement using magnetic resonance imaging.
6. Conditions and Keywords
Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
Major Depressive Episode
7. Study Design
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Study Phase
Phase 1, Phase 2
Interventional Study Model
Crossover Assignment
Masking
ParticipantCare ProviderOutcomes Assessor
Allocation
Randomized
Enrollment
20 (Anticipated)
8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions
Arm Title
Active stimulation
Arm Type
Experimental
Arm Description
Personalized low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation of deep brain target (subgenual cingulate or alternative targets)
Arm Title
Sham stimulation
Arm Type
Sham Comparator
Arm Description
Personalized low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation of lateral ventricle
Intervention Type
Device
Intervention Name(s)
Diadem prototype
Intervention Description
Diadem prototype device delivers personalized low-intensity transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation
Primary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Target engagement: MRI quantification of brain activation
Description
Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) or arterial spin labeling (ASL) response to active versus sham stimulation
Time Frame
1 day at MRI study visit
Title
Target engagement: MRI quantification of brain connectivity
Description
Resting functional connectivity of target in response to active versus sham stimulation
Time Frame
1 day at MRI study visit
Title
Mood effects: momentary mood change
Description
4-item Affect Change Scale: valence, arousal, depression, anxiety
Time Frame
1 day at stimulation study visit
Title
Mood effects: subjective mood state
Description
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Extended (PANAS-X)
Time Frame
1 day at stimulation study visit
10. Eligibility
Sex
All
Minimum Age & Unit of Time
18 Years
Maximum Age & Unit of Time
65 Years
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
Age 18-65, any gender
Primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder
Current moderate-to-severe depressive episode, without psychotic features, lasting at least 2 months
Self-rated 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS) total score > 10
Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and avoid changes to psychiatric treatments (medications, psychotherapy) for the duration of the study
For females of reproductive potential: negative pregnancy test or use of highly effective contraception for at least 1 month prior to baseline; agreement to use such a method throughout the study
Capacity to provide informed consent; provision of a signed and dated consent form
Exclusion Criteria:
History of serious brain injury or other neurologic disorder
Poorly managed general medical condition
Pregnant or breast feeding
Implanted device in the head or neck
MRI intolerance or contraindication
Brain stimulation (e.g., ECT, TMS, VNS) in the past month
Suicidal ideation (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale screen item #2, past month)
Lifetime history of a serious suicide attempt
Moderate-to-severe substance use disorder (past 3 months)
Obsessive compulsive disorder (past month)
Posttraumatic stress disorder (past month)
Schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (lifetime)
Neurocognitive disorder (past year)
Personality disorder as a current focus of treatment
Clinically inappropriate for participation in the study as determined by the study team
Central Contact Person:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name or Official Title & Degree
Brian J Mickey, MD, PhD
Phone
801-587-0159
Email
brian.mickey@utah.edu
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name or Official Title & Degree
Jan Kubanek, PhD
Overall Study Officials:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Brian J Mickey, MD, PhD
Organizational Affiliation
University of Utah
Official's Role
Principal Investigator
Facility Information:
Facility Name
University of Utah
City
Salt Lake City
State/Province
Utah
ZIP/Postal Code
84108
Country
United States
Individual Site Status
Recruiting
Facility Contact:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Brian Mickey
Phone
801-587-0159
Email
brian.mickey@utah.edu
12. IPD Sharing Statement
Plan to Share IPD
No
Learn more about this trial
Personalized Ultrasonic Brain Stimulation for Depression
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