Effects of Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Techniques on BDNF Levels (Plasti-Stim)

June 10, 2026 updated by: Hôpital le Vinatier
The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of non invasive brain stimulation - NIBS - techniques (Electroconvulsivotherapy - ECT, transcranial Direct Current Stimulation - tDCS, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation - rTMS) on serum Brain Derived Neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in patients with depression and schizophrenia. Four blood samples will be collected in each participants, one before the NIBS sessions, and 3 after the completion of NIBS protocols: one immediately after the end of the NIBS sessions, a second one week after and a last one month after. Two blood samples separated by one month will also be collected in a a group of healthy volunteers.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

The hypothesis is that NIBS will modulate BDNF levels and that the modification in serum BDNF levels will be correlated with clinical improvements in the sample of patients.

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.
165

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • France
      • Bron, France, 69677
        • Hopital Le vinatier

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • in the depression group: DSM IV criteria of MDD; HDRS17> 22; stage 2 of resistance; received rTMS or ECT
  • in the schizophrenia group DSM IV criteria of schizophrenia; pharmaco-resistance of symptoms (either negative symptoms or auditory verbal hallucination); received rTMS or tDCS
  • in the healthy volunteers group : to not have axis I of DSM IV diagnosis; no siblings with axis I DSM IV diagnosis

Exclusion Criteria:

  • less than 18 years old
  • pregnancy
  • received benzodiazepine

In the depression and schizophrenia group:

  • bipolar disorder
  • other axis I of DSM IV diagnosis (excluding for Tobacco use disorder)

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

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: Depression Electroconvulsive therapy
40 patients with major depression receiving a mean of 12 sessions of Electroconvulsive therapy
Device: non invasive brain stimulation
non invasive brain stimulation
Other Names:
  • ECT
  • rTMS
  • tDCS
Active Comparator: Depression active repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
40 patients with major depression receiving a mean 4 weeks of 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation applied over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - DLPFC
Device: non invasive brain stimulation
non invasive brain stimulation
Other Names:
  • ECT
  • rTMS
  • tDCS
Sham Comparator: Depression sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
40 patients with major depression receiving a mean 4 weeks of sham 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation applied over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - DLPFC
Device: non invasive brain stimulation
non invasive brain stimulation
Other Names:
  • ECT
  • rTMS
  • tDCS
Active Comparator: Schizophrenia active transcranial magnetic stimulati
40 patients with schizophrenia and predominant negative symptoms receiving 20 sessions of intermittent theta burst simulation (iTBS) applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - DLPFC
Device: non invasive brain stimulation
non invasive brain stimulation
Other Names:
  • ECT
  • rTMS
  • tDCS
Sham Comparator: Schizophrenia sham transcranial magnetic stimulation
patients with schizophrenia and predominant negative symptoms receiving 20 sessions of sham intermittent theta burst simulation (iTBS) applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - DLPFC
Device: non invasive brain stimulation
non invasive brain stimulation
Other Names:
  • ECT
  • rTMS
  • tDCS
Active Comparator: Schizophrenia active transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
40 patients with schizophrenia and auditory verbal hallucinations receiving 10 sessions of transcranial Direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied with the anode over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - DLPFC- and the cathode over the left temporoparietal junction
Device: non invasive brain stimulation
non invasive brain stimulation
Other Names:
  • ECT
  • rTMS
  • tDCS
Sham Comparator: Schizophrenia sham transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
40 patients with schizophrenia and auditory verbal hallucinations receiving 10 sessions of sham transcranial Direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied with the anode over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex - DLPFC- and the cathode over the left temporoparietal junction
Device: non invasive brain stimulation
non invasive brain stimulation
Other Names:
  • ECT
  • rTMS
  • tDCS
No Intervention: Healthy volunteers
80 healthy volunteers receiving no 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
serum BDNF levels
Time Frame: from baseline to one month
from baseline to one month

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.
Hôpital le Vinatier

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.
  • Study Director: jerome brunelin, PhD, CH le Vinatier

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 (Actual)

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.
December 1, 2010

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.
October 11, 2017

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.
October 11, 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).
October 19, 2015

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.
January 8, 2016

First Posted (Estimated)

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.
January 12, 2016

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.
June 12, 2026

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.
June 10, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

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.
  • CSR B04

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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