Accelerated, Theta-burst Stimulation for the Treatment of Post-concussion Syndrome - Open-label Pilot Study

May 6, 2024 updated by: Dr. Sean Michael Nestor, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Image-guided, Accelerated, Theta-burst Stimulation for the Treatment of Post-concussion Syndrome - Open-label Pilot Study

The current study aims to better understand the efficacy of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) treatment in patients diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome (PCS) and to explore changes in brain networks after undergoing iTBS to assess its safety and feasibility in treating PCS.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

This open-label pilot study aims to investigate the potential of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), for treating post- concussive syndrome (PCS) in persons with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). PCS is characterized by symptoms like cognitive impairment, mood dysregulation, fatigue, and headaches, with limited treatment options. Previous research has indicated brain network dysfunction in mTBI patients and suggested the potential of conventional once daily high frequency rTMS for treating PCS symptoms. Our proposal builds on these findings by utilizing the expertise and resources of Sunnybrook's Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, which has extensive experience in delivering rTMS and theta-burst stimulation for treatment-resistant depression. This pilot study will implement an accelerated iTBS rTMS protocol, offering shorter treatment duration, as well as MRI-guided stimulation for precise targeting. The investigators will also explore changes in brain function following rTMS using a technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging. The investigators ultimately aim to understand how iTBS may alter the post-concussive brain and the extent to which these changes may improve PCS.

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 (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.
10

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Canada
    • Ontario
      • Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4N3M5
        • Recruiting
        • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Sean M Nestor, MD
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Matthew Burke, MD

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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Documented evidence of head trauma sufficiently severe to result in loss of consciousness, post-traumatic amnesia and/or acute altered mental status.
  • At least three symptoms including headache, dizziness, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, memory difficulties, concentration difficulties, mood dysregulation.
  • Onset of symptoms within 4 weeks following the head trauma.
  • Age 18-60, inclusive.
  • Persistence of PCS symptoms for at least 3 months but less than 24 months
  • Able to provide informed consent and comply with the study protocol
  • Patients will not be excluded solely on the basis of communication (i.e., non-English speaking) unless they have exclusion criteria that is the cause of the communication difficulties.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Evidence of major structural neuroimaging abnormalities (e.g., intracranial hemorrhage, skull fracture or a large intracranial lesion)
  • History of prior rTMS therapy,
  • Contraindications to MRI (e.g., pacemaker, metallic implants etc.).
  • Ferromagnetic, non-removable metallic implants from above the clavicle with the exception of dental work.
  • Active personal injury litigation
  • History of seizure disorder, not including febrile seizures in childhood
  • Substance dependence within the last 6 months
  • Pregnant
  • Currently taking more than lorazepam 2 mg daily (or benzodiazepine equivalent) or any dose of an anticonvulsant (due to the potential to reduce rTMS efficacy)
  • Currently taking an antiepileptic medication
  • Mild and major comorbid medical conditions (as determined by investigators - e.g., neurological diseases, uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes, malignancy)
  • A major comorbid psychiatric disorder (as determined by investigators - e.g., schizophrenia or bipolar disorder) and/or psychosis at the time of study enrollment.

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: Accelerated Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation
Non-invasive brain stimulation technique, accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), for treating post- concussive syndrome (PCS) in persons with mild traumatic brain injury
Device: Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation
Accelerated course of left dlPFC iTBS, consisting of 600 pulses/session, 50 minutes intersession interval, 8 session/day for 5 days) at 90% resting motor threshold (MT)

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
Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately before the first iTBS treatment
A validated measure of subjective global PCS symptoms
Baseline, immediately before the first iTBS treatment
Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire
Time Frame: 5 days
A validated measure of subjective global PCS symptoms
5 days
Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire
Time Frame: 1 month post-treatment
A validated measure of subjective global PCS symptoms
1 month post-treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale
Time Frame: Baseline, post treatment day 5, and Study endpoint
Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale is a widely used clinician-rated measure of depressive severity
Baseline, post treatment day 5, and Study endpoint
Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status
Time Frame: Baseline and post treatment 1 month
Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status is a brief, individually administered battery to measure cognitive decline or improvement
Baseline and post treatment 1 month
The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function
Time Frame: Baseline, post treatment day 5, and post treatment 1 month
The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-A is a standardized measure that captures views of an adult's executive functions or self-regulation in his or her everyday environment.
Baseline, post treatment day 5, and post treatment 1 month
Headache Impact Test
Time Frame: Baseline and post treatment 1 month
Headache Impact Test is a tool used to measure the impact headaches have on one's ability to function on the job, at school, at home and in social situations.
Baseline and post treatment 1 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.
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

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.
April 29, 2024

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.
March 1, 2026

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.
March 1, 2026

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).
May 1, 2024

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 1, 2024

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.
May 3, 2024

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.
May 8, 2024

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.
May 6, 2024

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.
May 1, 2024

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.
  • 6160

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

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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