Transcranial Electrical Stimulation in the Treatment of Acute Anxiety Induced by Stressful Life Events: A Pilot Study (OptesStressP)

December 18, 2014 updated by: Soili Lehto, University of Eastern Finland

Optimizing Electrical Stimulation for Clinical Applications (the OptES Study): Severe Psychological Stress - a Pilot Study (OptES-Stress-pilot)

The investigators examine the efficacy of two different transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) stimulation protocols in the treatment of acute anxiety in an open-label pilot study in patients who have faced severely stressful life events.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a novel neuromodulation method that has been observed to be promising in treatment of psychiatric disorders such as depression. Nevertheless, knowledge related to the treatment of psychological stress and its main symptom, anxiety, is very scarce. The investigators examine the efficacy of two different transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) stimulation protocols in the treatment of acute anxiety in an open-label pilot study in patients who have faced severely stressful life events.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

14

Phase

  • 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.

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18-65 years
  • Naïve to tDCS
  • Right-handed
  • Impact of Event Scale Scores ≥ 30

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Metal implants inside skull or eye
  • Severe skin lesions at the electrode placement area
  • History of epilepsy or previous seizures
  • Pregnant or breast-feeding
  • Pacemaker
  • History of intracerebral bleeding during the past six months
  • Major psychiatric conditions according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders, i.e., Lifetime diagnoses of bipolar mood disorder or psychotic disorder
  • DSM-IV diagnosis for one or more of the following conditions during the past six months: unipolar mood disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or substance dependence/abuse.
  • Use of psychotropic medication (i.e., antipsychotic and antidepressant medications, mood stabilizers, psychostimulants, hypnotics and tranquilizers) during the past six months

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: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Treatment 1
NeuroConn DC Stimulator Plus tDCS treatment protocol no 1
Device: NeuroConn DC Stimulator Plus tDCS
transcranial electrical stimulation intervention with two experimental protocols
Experimental: Treatment 2
NeuroConn DC Stimulator Plus tDCS treatment protocol no 1
Device: NeuroConn DC Stimulator Plus tDCS
transcranial electrical stimulation intervention with two experimental protocols

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Impact of Event Scale (Change in scores of event-related anxiety)
Time Frame: 12 days
Change in scores of event-related anxiety
12 days

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Eastern Finland

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Soili M Lehto, MD, PhD, University of Eastern Finland

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

January 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

December 1, 2015

Study Completion (Anticipated)

March 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 16, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 18, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

December 19, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 19, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 18, 2014

Last Verified

December 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • OptES-Stress-pilot

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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