OCD is a chronic condition with a high rate of poor responders to conventional treatments, such as antidepressants and psychotherapy. Chronic symptoms can lead to important social impairment and suffering for patients and families. The present study aims to investigate if the addition of transcranial magnetic stimulation can provide enhanced response to conventional treatment. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive technique that can influence specific areas of the brain and has very few side effects.
The treatment with transcranial magnetic stimulation requires attendance to hospital daily sessions for 6 consecutive weeks. Each session lasts up to 30 minutes. Side effects include scalp discomfort and mild headache. No anesthesia is required. Stimulation aims the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a region previously studied to treat depression symptoms with positive results. The present technique has never been employed in previous studies, but risks are insignificant
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
30
30 daily sessions: each with 40 trains of 5 seconds at 10Hz, with a 25 second inter-train interval, at an intensity of 110% of motor threshold. Site: Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex
A reduction of at least 30 % in the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) scores and an "improved" or "much improved" score on the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) improvement scale by the end of follow-up
Time frame: 3 - 6 months
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