Bone-Lead Level Associations With Brain and Mental Health

October 9, 2025 updated by: Medical University of South Carolina

Investigation of Bone-Lead Level Associations With Brain and Mental Health and Treatment Response Among MUSC Psychiatry Patients

The goal of this study is to assess cumulative lead exposure among treatment-seeking patients in the MUSC hospital system receiving experimental transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), an electroencephalogram (EEG), and/or transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) therapies to determine whether lead exposure represents a risk factor for more severe mental illness or a modifier of treatment response. Information will be obtained from patients with a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders recruited to existing hospital studies. This information will include the results of bone-lead testing, brief cognitive tests, and self-reported psychiatric symptoms and behaviors.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

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 goal of this study is to assess cumulative lead exposure among treatment-seeking patients in the MUSC hospital system receiving experimental transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS), an electroencephalogram (EEG), and/or transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) therapies to determine whether lead exposure represents a risk factor for more severe mental illness or a modifier of treatment response. Information will be obtained from patients with a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders recruited to existing hospital studies. This information will include the results of bone-lead testing, brief cognitive tests, and self-reported psychiatric symptoms and behaviors. It is anticipated that the data will serve as preliminary data for research grant applications to support further data collection among a wider clinical and non-clinical population.

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.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

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.
500

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • South Carolina
      • Charleston, South Carolina, United States, 29425
        • Medical University of South Carolina

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

The current study will recruit solely from research studies listed within the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The populations within the inclusion/exclusion criteria cover a wide range of psychiatric disorders including but not limited to alcohol use disorder (AUD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and anxiety spectrum disorders (ASD). There will be no exclusion based on gender or minority status. The investigators anticipate that at least 50% of the participants will be women. The percentage of minority participants is expected to be at least 5%. The investigators will make vigorous attempts to increase this number by posting advertisement flyers in minority communities.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18-70
  • Ability to read, write, and comprehend English
  • Capacity to consent
  • Consented for recontact, when applicable
  • Negative pregnancy test

Additional inclusion criteria match those of parent studies, including:

  • Currently meets all inclusion criteria, has agreed to be recontacted, and has consented to participate in MPFC Theta Burst Stimulation as a Treatment Tool for Alcohol Use Disorder: Effects on Drinking and Incentive Salience (PRO 102709)
  • Currently meets all inclusion criteria, has agreed to be recontacted, and has consented to participate in An Open Label Study to Assess the Feasibility and Tolerability of Accelerated Theta Burst Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (iTBS-TMS) for the Treatment of Post-Partum Depression (PRO 73886)
  • Currently meets all inclusion criteria, has agreed to be recontacted, and has consented to participate in Developing a Novel rTMS Intervention for Transdiagnostic Psychosocial Rehabilitation: A Dose-finding Study (PRO 82315)
  • Currently meets all inclusion criteria, has agreed to be recontacted, and has consented to participate in Accelerated Repetitive TMS for Affective Dysfunction: Establishing the Dose-Response Curve (PRO 84111)
  • Currently meets all inclusion criteria, has agreed to be recontacted, and has consented to participate in Modeling and Modulating Mechanisms of Escape, Avoidance, and Approach in the Anxiety Disorder Spectrum (PRO 106843)
  • Currently meets all inclusion criteria, has agreed to be recontacted, and has consented to participate in Sign vs. Goal Tracking in Alcohol Use Disorder: Predicting problem alcohol use using a neurophysiological endophenotype of reward-based incentive salience attribution (PRO 124775)
  • Currently meets all inclusion criteria, has agreed to be recontacted, and has consented to participate in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Decision Making (PRO 126644)
  • Currently meets all inclusion criteria, has agreed to be recontacted, and has consented to participate in The Influence of Mental States on Anticipation and Processing of Emotional Information (PRO 94001)
  • Currently meets all inclusion criteria, has agreed to be recontacted, and has consented to participate in Optimizing Transdiagnostic Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Enhance Learning (PRO 107689)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant
  • Current schizophrenia or psychotic disorder
  • Inability or unwillingness of subject to give informed consent

Additional exclusion criteria match those of parent studies, including:

  • Currently does not meet any exclusion criteria from MPFC Theta Burst Stimulation as a Treatment Tool for Alcohol Use Disorder: Effects on Drinking and Incentive Salience (PRO 102709)
  • Currently does not meet any exclusion criteria from An Open Label Study to Assess the Feasibility and Tolerability of Accelerated Theta Burst Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (iTBS-TMS) for the Treatment of Post-Partum Depression (PRO 73886)
  • Currently does not meet any exclusion criteria from Developing a Novel rTMS Intervention for Transdiagnostic Psychosocial Rehabilitation: A Dose-finding Study (PRO 82315)
  • Currently does not meet any exclusion criteria from Accelerated Repetitive TMS for Affective Dysfunction: Establishing the Dose-Response Curve (PRO 84111)
  • Currently does not meet any exclusion criteria from Modeling and Modulating Mechanisms of Escape, Avoidance, and Approach in the Anxiety Disorder Spectrum (PRO 106843)
  • Currently does not meet any exclusion criteria from Sign vs. Goal Tracking in Alcohol Use Disorder: Predicting problem alcohol use using a neurophysiological endophenotype of reward-based incentive salience attribution (PRO 124775)
  • Currently does not meet any exclusion criteria from Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Decision Making (PRO 126644)
  • Currently does not meet any exclusion criteria from The Influence of Mental States on Anticipation and Processing of Emotional Information (PRO 94001)
  • Currently does not meet any exclusion criteria from Optimizing Transdiagnostic Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Enhance Learning (PRO 107689)

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

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neuropsychiatric Diagnoses
Time Frame: Baseline
Count of participants varying neuropsychiatric disorders assessed by the Diagnostic Interview for Anxiety, Mood, and OCD and related Neuropsychiatric Disorders (DIAMOND)
Baseline
Cognitive Function
Time Frame: Baseline
Measurement of cognitive function as assessed by the Trail Making Test (TMT) as a way to assess central executive functioning.
Baseline

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.
Medical University of South Carolina

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: Dean Kilpatrick, Ph.D., Medical University of South Carolina

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.
August 17, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
May 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
May 1, 2027

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).
April 6, 2023

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.
May 24, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

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.
June 5, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
October 14, 2025

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.
October 9, 2025

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.
October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • Pro00126756

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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