Depression is a mood disorder affecting an individual in its entirety, altering its emotional and intellectual functioning . The major form of depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in Western countries. It is considered to be the most expensive psychiatric neurological disease in Europe and is currently treated by different methods. However, almost a third of depressed patients shows no clinical improvement. Advances in neuroscience and understanding of neuromodulation have enabled the emergence of new treatments such as the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) . It consists of modulating the neuronal activity of a targeted brain region through a magnetic field applied by a coil. Even though this form of treatment has proven to be effective, it appears that more than half of depressed patients exhibited little to no response to it. As brain regions targeted by TMS may also be stimulated beforehand by sensory afferent signals, it was hypothesized that optimizing the effects of TMS with virtual reality is possible through the activation of these brain regions with sensory stimuli holding emotional valence (images, sounds) while using TMS concomitantly. Based on this new research premise, the investigators propose, in the context of an open and controlled clinical trial, to use a new media entitled virtual reality for displaying interactive virtual environments with positive emotional valence ( field of flowers, green valley) to a group of depressed patients undergoing TMS at the same time. The study will include 66 depressed patients randomly assigned into two groups : TMS and Virtual Reality Versus TMS alone. Any differences in therapeutic efficacy between the two groups will be measured by questionnaires and brain functional imagery. This innovative and therapeutic approach will allow us to better understand the appropriate processes for modulating the neuronal activity in specific brain areas for treatment purposes.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
66
20 sessions navigated with Conventional Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
20 sessions navigated with virtual reality
Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille
Marseille, France
RECRUITINGEvaluation of the depression score in Montgomery-asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).
a heteroevaluation scale of depressive semiology in 10 items. A decrease of at least 50% in initial score at the Montgomery-asberg Depression Rating Scale.
Time frame: 36 months
Evaluation of The State Trait Anxiety Inventory Self-Questionnaire
40 items with, for each, 4 modalities of response, corresponding to degrees of intensity or frequency of the habitual or general emotional state of the patient. The calculated score varies between 20 and 80, a high score indicating the presence of anxiety. Anxiety will be assessed before the program begins and at the end of the program.
Time frame: 36 months
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