- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT04046536
rTMS in Alleviating Pain and Co-Morbid Symptoms in Gulf War Veterans Illness (GWVI)
August 8, 2023 updated by: VA Office of Research and Development
rTMS in Alleviating Pain and Co-morbid Symptoms in GWVI
This study aims to look at the effectiveness of using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in relieving pain and other co-morbid symptoms of Gulf War Illness.
Study Overview
Status
Recruiting
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Detailed Description
Headaches (HA), muscle and joint pain, are some of the most common debilitating symptoms in military personnel served in the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War (GW1).
Migraine like HA and diffuse body pain were detected in 64% of Gulf War Veteran (GWV) diagnosed with Gulf War Illness (GWI).
Likewise, depression carries a very high co-morbid rate (50%) in patients with chronic pain, and in GWV with GWI related chronic HA and body muscle and joint pain conditions (GWI-HAP).
Unfortunately, conventional pharmacological treatments for GWI-related pain has not been shown to be effective and drugs such as narcotics contain many long term untoward psychosomatic and abusive side effects.
This study is assessing the effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), non-invasive treatment option, in alleviating pain and other co-morbid symptoms of GWI.
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Estimated)
80
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.
Study Contact
- Name: Albert Y Leung, MD
- Phone Number: 3029 (858) 552-8585
- Email: Albert.Leung@va.gov
Study Contact Backup
- Name: Caleb T Lopez, BS
- Phone Number: 2638 (858) 552-8585
- Email: caleb.lopez@va.gov
Study Locations
-
-
California
-
Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304-1290
- Recruiting
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
-
Contact:
- Angela Phillips, PhD
- Phone Number: 62179 650-493-5000
- Email: Angela.Phillips4@va.gov
-
San Diego, California, United States, 92161-0002
- Recruiting
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA
-
Principal Investigator:
- Albert Yick Leung, MD
-
Contact:
- Caleb T Lopez, BS
- Phone Number: 2638 (858) 552-8585
- Email: caleb.lopez@va.gov
-
-
Georgia
-
Decatur, Georgia, United States, 30033
- Recruiting
- Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA
-
Contact:
- Gabriell Champion, BS
- Phone Number: 206277 404-321-6111
- Email: Gabriell.Champion@va.gov
-
-
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
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Male or female under 65 years of age who served in the military for at least 30 consecutive days between August 1, 1990, and July 31, 1991 in the Persian Gulf War region
- CDC Criteria for GWVI (GWI)
- Kansas Criteria for GWVI (GWI)
- International Headache Society Criteria for Migraine Headache without aura
- Average Overall Daily Muscle Pain Intensity >3 on 0-10 a NPS
- Average Overall Daily Extremities Joint Pain Intensity >3 on 0-10 a NPS
- Headache Exacerbation/attack once a week with the average intensity >3 on a 0-10 NPS, lasting > 1 hour in the past three months
- Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression (HRSD) greater than or equal to 14 based on the sum of scores for the first 17 items
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pregnancy
- History of pacemaker implant
- Any ferromagnetic (e.g. bullet fragment, shrapnel, device implant) in the brain or body that will prohibit the patients from having a brain MRI
- History of dementia, major psychiatric diseases, or life-threatening diseases
- Presence of any other chronic neuropathic pain states such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or Painful Peripheral Neuropathy
- History of seizure
- Pending litigation
- Low back pain with mechanical origins such as lumbar radiculopathy or radiculitis or lumbar facet arthropathy
- Lack of ability to understand the experimental protocol and to adequately communicate in English
- History of Traumatic Brain injury
- Chronic Tension or Cluster Headache
- Ongoing Cognitive Rehabilitation or Treatment of PTSD
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: Triple
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
---|---|
Active Comparator: Active rTMS at the LDLPFC
Subjects will receive the repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) study procedure at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC).
|
A non-invasive treatment that emits magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain.
|
Sham Comparator: Sham rTMS at the LDLPFC
Sham rTMS will appear the same as the active, with the same parameters, but will not receive the actual magnetic stimulation to the LDLPFC.
|
Sham rTMS will consist of the same parameters as active, however, the subject will not receive the actual magnetic stimulation due to the use of a double sided Active/Sham coil used specifically for research studies.
|
Active Comparator: Active rTMS at the LMC
Subjects will receive the repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) study procedure at the left motor cortex (LMC)
|
A non-invasive treatment that emits magnetic pulses to stimulate the brain.
|
Sham Comparator: Sham rTMS at the LMC
Sham rTMS will appear the same as the active, with the same parameters, but will not receive the actual magnetic stimulation to the LMC.
|
Sham rTMS will consist of the same parameters as active, however, the subject will not receive the actual magnetic stimulation due to the use of a double sided Active/Sham coil used specifically for research studies.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Change from baseline to post treatment of GWI-related pain and headaches
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
This outcome will be measured through daily self-reporting logs that tracks headache, muscle, and joint pain.
A numerical rating scale of 0, being no pain, to 10, being worst possible pain, will be used to report pain and headaches.
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of sensory and affective aspects of pain
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ): This is a self-report questionnaire that allows individuals to describe the quality and intensity of pain they are experiencing.
This will be used to assess the sensory and affective aspects of muscle and joint pain.
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of headaches
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
The Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) will be used to measure how headaches affect the individual's ability to function in different domains.
This 6-question form assesses the severity of headache pain and is scored with a range of 36-78, with higher scores indicating a larger impact of headaches on functionality.
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of depression
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) questionnaire will be used to assess depression, which consists of 21 questions and rates the severity of symptoms observed in depression such as low mood, insomnia, agitation, anxiety and weight loss.
Only the first 17 items are used for the overall scoring.
A score between 14 and 18 represents a moderate form of depression and a score greater than 19 represents severe depression.
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of quality of life
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
The Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) is a self-reported survey of patient health.
It is a measure of health status and quality of life in regards to eight main areas: vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, health perceptions, physical, emotional, and social role functioning and mental health.
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of body pain
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
A Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF) questionnaire will also be used to assess the severity of pain and the impact of pain on daily functions.
The BPI-SF consists of five questions.
Four items measure pain on 11-point response scales from 0 to 10 ("No Pain" to "Pain as bad as you can imagine".
Another item, containing 7 sub-questions, evaluates the level of pain interference with daily functioning on 11-point response scales from 0 to 10 ("Does not interfere" to "Completely interferes").
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of muscle pain
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
The New Clinical Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria - Part 1 will be used to assess muscle pain.
Patients will be asked to rate the average (over the past 24 hours) intensity of muscle pain for up to 12 locations of the body.
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of fibromyalgia
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
A Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire will be used to evaluate the function, overall impact and symptoms of Fibromyalgia.
There are a total of 21 questions, each with a range of 0-10, with 10 being either "very difficult" or "always."
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of neurobehavioral symptoms
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
The Neurobehavioral Symptoms Inventory (NSI) is a self-report questionnaire on the severity of various behavioral symptoms and is measured using a 5-item scale.
It asks the subjects to indicate the extent to which each symptom has disturbed them.
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of sleep quality
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire has nineteen individual items which are used to generate seven composite scores on: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction.
Questions are either free-response or have a range from 0-3, with 3 being "more frequent" or "very bad."
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of sleep difficulties
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
The Insomnia Severity Index measures the severity of an individual's sleep difficulties.
All questions range from 0-4 and the sum of the answers would give the total score.
The total score range from 0-28.
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change from baseline to post treatment of fatigue
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
The Flinders Fatigue Scale measures daytime fatigue associated with insomnia through a 7-item questionnaire.
The questions range from 1-5, with 5 being "extremely" or "entirely."
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Change from baseline to post treatment of PTSD symptoms
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5), 30-item structured interview that can be used to diagnose PTSD and associated symptoms, will be used to assess PTSD symptoms
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Change in opioid-based pain medication usage
Time Frame: Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Medication assessment consists of daily chronic and breakthrough opioid usage for pain or headache.
Average daily dosage will be converted to equal-potent oral Morphine Sulfate dosage based on the clinical opioid conversion table used by the VASDHS Pain Service and University of California, San Diego, Center for Pain Medicine.
The study participants will be asked to remain on the same analgesic medication(s) during the study period but are allowed to titrate down their narcotic usage.
|
Baseline, 1-week, 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month
|
Explore changes in supraspinal resting state functional connectivity
Time Frame: Baseline and 1-week post treatment
|
The outcome measure will be assessed through functional magnetic imaging scans and subsequent processing.
|
Baseline and 1-week post treatment
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Albert Yick Leung, MD, VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA
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)
October 1, 2019
Primary Completion (Estimated)
September 30, 2025
Study Completion (Estimated)
September 30, 2025
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
August 2, 2019
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
August 2, 2019
First Posted (Actual)
August 6, 2019
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
August 14, 2023
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
August 8, 2023
Last Verified
August 1, 2023
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- SPLD-013-18F
- H190020 (Other Identifier: VASDHS)
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
Yes
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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