Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause

February 28, 2018 updated by: Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Vasomotor Symptoms of Menopause: Blind Sham Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial

Climacteric or Menopausal Transition is defined as the time period where there is a change to non-reproductive reproductive life, with extension of variable length. During this period, and after the establishment of Menopause and non-functioning ovarian, the appearance of various symptoms that express the depletion of ovarian follicles is common; among these symptoms, the most frequently reported by women are vasomotor symptoms or hot flashes. In addition to hormonal therapy, other medications have been employed in an attempt to improve these symptoms; although they present better results than placebo, yet have little clinical impact in reducing vasomotor symptoms. Therefore, this gap allows the evaluation of alternative therapies, such as Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). The rationale for studying the effect of this technique in this context is its possible autonomic modulatory effect. What reinforces the choice of this technique is the fact that it demonstrated efficacy in other pathologies such as depression, pain, Parkinson's disease, among others. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a renewed method of non-invasive brain modulation. It is based on a transcranial application of weak direct currents in a non-invasive, simple and painless manner. Its use in the treatment of vasomotor symptoms has not been studied. The objective of this study is to evaluate the improvement of vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women, after application of tDCS, and compare them to a control group. This Randomized Clinical Trial will be held in female postmenopausal patients, followed in the outpatient Menopause Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre. From these results, it is expected to present a new therapeutic option in the treatment of vasomotor symptoms.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Primary Outcome: evaluate the effect of tDCS on vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women treated at a tertiary hospital in southern Brazil.

Secondary Outcome: compare the effect of tDCS with sham-tDCS in postmenopausal women on vasomotor symptoms, FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) levels, salivary cortisol, BDNF (Brains derived neurotrophic factor)levels,depressive symptoms and quality of life.

Interventions:

  • Application of tDCS for a period of 10 consecutive days.
  • Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS):

Active stimulation: the anode electrode is placed in the area of the motor cortex M1 C3 or C4 position of the dominant hemisphere (International 10-20 EEG System). The cathode electrode is placed over the contralateral supraorbital region to the anode electrode. Treatment time and intensity of the stimulus: 2 mili Ampere, 20min, 10 days.

Placebo-sham: appliance off during the entire period without active stimulation, with the position of the electrodes in the same sites of active stimulation.

The placebo group do not receive pharmacological treatment or other during the research.

After treatment, patients will be reassessed in a week, a month and three months with new application of questionnaires and sample collection.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
30

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Brazil
    • Rio Grande Do Sul
      • Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil
        • Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

menopause women, any age, with at least, eight hot flashes/day

Exclusion Criteria:

neurological or psychiatric diseases, patients with head injury, women in hormonal replacement

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Active Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: the anode electrode is placed in the area of the motor cortex M1 C3 or C4 position of the dominant hemisphere (International 10-20 EEG System). The cathode electrode is placed over the contralateral supraorbital region to the anode electrode. Treatment time and intensity of the stimulus: tDCS: 2mili Ampere, 20min, 10 days.
Procedure: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Active Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation : the anode electrode is placed in the area of the motor cortex M1 C3 or C4 position of the dominant hemisphere (International 10-20 EEG System). The cathode electrode is placed over the contralateral supraorbital region to the anode electrode. Treatment time and intensity of the stimulus: tDCS: 2 mili Ampere, 20min, 10 days.
Placebo Comparator: Sham Stimulation
Sham Stimulation: appliance off during the entire period without active stimulation, with the position of the electrodes in the same sites of active stimulation
Procedure: Sham Stimulation
Sham Stimulation- appliance off during the entire period without active stimulation, with the position of the electrodes in the same sites of active stimulation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
number of diary vasomotor symptoms
Time Frame: 30 days
30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Maria Celeste Wender, PhD, Hospítal de Clinicas de Professor

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 8, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 8, 2013

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 11, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 1, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 28, 2018

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 12-0418

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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Conditions

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