Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been approved as a treatment of depression in patients that have not responded to a trial of one antidepressant medication. The investigators hypothesize that low frequency TMS exerts inhibitory effect on hyper excitable cortical state in patients with chronic insomnia and therefore is therapeutic. The investigators want to compare the change in insomnia scores between baseline and end of treatment in an open label trial with bifrontal low frequency TMS stimulation in 20 patients with primary insomnia using daily stimulation of 3 weeks (15 week days).
Insomnia is a common clinical problem that affects about 25 million people in the US. Insomnia exacts health and economic consequences well beyond inadequate and non-restorative sleep. It increases healthcare costs, causes or adds to medical and psychiatric comorbidities, cognitive impairments, accidents, absenteeism and reduced quality of life. Treatment of insomnia is difficult and usually needs a multimodal approach incorporating various cognitive and behavioral approaches in addition to medication treatment. TMS and other neurophysiological studies have shown presence of a diffuse cortical hyper-arousal in patients with chronic insomnia. High frequency TMS (\>1 Hz) has been shown to be activating whereas low frequency TMS (\<1Hz) has been shown to be inhibitory in clinical and neurophysiological studies. TMS has been approved as a treatment of depression in patients who have not responded to a trial of at least one antidepressant medication. The goal of this study is to translate the knowledge learned from neurophysiological studies of insomnia to the clinical treatment of insomnia using TMS as the primary modality. Aim: Compare the change in insomnia scores between baseline and end of treatment with bifrontal low frequency TMS stimulation in 20 patients with primary insomnia using daily stimulation of 3 weeks (15 week days).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Patients will receive sequential bilateral bifrontal low frequency TMS stimulation daily on weekdays for three weeks. In addition, a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia severity rating index, Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and a sleep diary will be kept.
UF @ Shands
Gainesville, Florida, United States
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ( PSQI)
Change in Pittsburgh sleep quality index scores at the end of three weeks of stimulation with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Minimum Score = 0 (good sleep); Maximum Score = 30 (disrupted sleep)
Time frame: three weeks
Insomnia Severity Index ( ISI)
Change in insomnia severity index scores at the end of three weeks stimulation with transcranial magnetic stimulation. A 5-point Likert scale is used to rate each item (e.g., 0 = no problem; 4 = very severe problem), yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 28. The total score is interpreted as follows: absence of insomnia (0-7); sub-threshold insomnia (8-14); moderate insomnia (15-21); and severe insomnia (22-28).
Time frame: three weeks
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Enrollment
23