INTRODUCTION Recent findings from three small studies (total n=59) suggest that three changes in repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) protocols, called the Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT) protocol, contribute to extreme high overall remission of 79% in patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD), whereas remission using a standard 10 Hz rTMS protocol is 25%. The improvement using the SNT protocol is achieved by combining 1) accelerated treatment with multiple sessions per day, 2) applying a higher overall pulse dose of stimulation, using intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS), and 3) precise targeting of the region in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), using functional MRI guided neuronavigation.
OBJECTIVE To determine if the SNT protocol is more (cost-) effective compared to standard 10 Hz rTMS in patients with TRD, even though the number of pulses given in both protocols is equal, i.e., 90,000.
STUDY DESIGN Multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing SNT with standard 10Hz rTMS with a follow-up of 25 weeks.
STUDY POPULATION 108 Patients with TRD (no response to 2 or more evidence-based treatments).
INTERVENTION 50 sessions using the SNT protocol in 5 days. The region of the left DLPFC most anticorrelated with the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex in each participant will be targeted based on subject-specific functional resting state MRI.
COMPARISON 30 standard daily 10 Hz rTMS sessions in six weeks, targeting the left DLPFC based on standard measurement procedures of the skull.
OUTCOME MEASURES
* Remission, based on the Hamilton depression rating scale * Cost effectiveness, based on healthcare resource use * Quality of life and positive mental health * Tolerability and safety * Relapse * Description of opportunities and difficulties with regard to implementation
SAMPLE SIZE The investigators will enrol 108 patients (α=0.05, power is 0.80) including adjustment for attrition.
COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS SNT is faster and possibly more effective than 10Hz rTMS leading to a total cost reduction of 22 million each year considering less expensive healthcare, reduced illness duration and absence from work.
TIME SCHEDULE Within 36 months, the investigators will recruit and treat 108 patients with TRD: each center will recruit 9 patients per year. After the last follow-up assessments, the investigators will finalise the study within 12 months and report the results.
18 years of age or older;
Sufficient level of spoken and written Dutch;
Ability to freely provide written informed consent;
Current DSM-5 diagnosis of a depressive episode, ascertained by the Mini International Neuropsychiatry Interview (MINI-S).
- Bipolar disorder.
Current psychotic disorder¸ including psychotic depression, assessed by treating psychiatrist.
Suspected dementia, assessed with a dementia screening tool, i.e., the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA)(25), with a score of less than 20 points, or a clinical suspicion of dementia, or neuroimaging indication for neurodegeneration with a Fazekas > 1 and MTA >1. These cut-offs ensure exclusion of patients with (preclinical) dementia.
Active suicidal thoughts and intent to act on it, assessed at the baseline interview and before the start of the trial. This assessment is based on the Columbia suicide severity rating scale, i.e., question 5 is answered positive "Have you started to work out or worked out the details of how to kill yourself? Do you intend to carry out this plan?" (26).
Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc
Lead sponsor
Radboud University Medical Center
Collaborator
Maastricht University Medical Center
Collaborator
Maastricht University
Collaborator
Trimbos
Collaborator
Academisch Medisch Centrum - Universiteit van Amsterdam (AMC-UvA)
Collaborator
Donders Centre for Neuroscience
Collaborator