The current study aims to assess the feasibility, acceptance and clinical outcomes of a practical high-dose LFR protocol, including tapering treatments and symptom-based relapse prevention treatments, in patients with bipolar depression previously responsive to ECT and patients needing urgent treatment due to symptom severity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Treatment resistant bipolar depression is a leading cause of disability and socioeconomic burden of disease, and current treatment options all suffer from critical deficiencies of efficacy, capacity, or tolerability, especially given the current COVID-19 pandemic. rTMS and aLFR in particular has the potential to overcome many of these deficiencies, and is safe and well-tolerated. Taken together with the reported findings of other groups, aLFR may be feasible, tolerable, and capable of achieving comparable and potentially better remission rates than longer 20 to 30-day courses and it may also be beneficial to taper treatments and use symptom-based relapse prevention treatments in an aLFR protocol. Importantly, our pilot data in two patients previously responsive to ECT and data from the Cole et al. study suggest that accelerated rTMS may be a potential substitute for ECT as it may be possible to achieve remission in patients with severe depressive symptoms who would otherwise receive ECT. Furthermore, there is a burden of being able to provide care to as many people as possible based on severity of illness during the pandemic.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
29
Treatment will occur 8 times per treatment day (50 min pause between treatments). Each treatment session will consist of a single LFR treatment, with 360 pulses of LFR delivered in one continuous train of 6 minutes at 1Hz at 120% of the patient's resting motor threshold.
CAMH
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Proportion achieving remission on Hamilton Rating Scale for Depresion 24-it (HRSD-24)
Less than or equal to 10 This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression Scale range: 0-76 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Change in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depresion 24-it (HRSD-24)
changes in scores This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression Scale range: 0-76 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Response on Hamilton Rating Scale for Depresion 24-it (HRSD-24)
50% Reduction in score This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression Scale range: 0-76 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Change in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)
changes in scores This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of mania Scale range: 0-60 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of manic symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of manic symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Remission on Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
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Less than or equal to 4 This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression Scale range: 0-27 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Response on Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
50% Reduction in score This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression Scale range: 0-27 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Change in Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
changes in scores This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression Scale range: 0-27 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Remission on General Anxiety Disorder 7 item (GAD-7)
Less than or equal to 4 This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of anxiety Scale range: 0-21 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of anxiety symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of anxiety symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Response on General Anxiety Disorder 7 item (GAD-7)
50% Reduction in score This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of anxiety Scale range: 0-21 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of anxiety symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of anxiety symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Change in General Anxiety Disorder 7 item (GAD-7)
changes in scores This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of anxiety Scale range: 0-21 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of anxiety symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of anxiety symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Remission on Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)
Less than or equal to 12 This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression Scale range: 0-63 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Response on Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)
50% Reduction in Score This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression Scale range: 0-63 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Change on Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)
changes in scores This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression Scale range: 0-63 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Remission on Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI)
Score of 0 This scale is used to assess the presence or absence of suicidal ideation and the degree of severity of suicidal ideas Scale range: 0 - 38 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of suicidal ideation (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of suicidal ideation (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Change on Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI)
changes in scores This scale is used to assess the presence or absence of suicidal ideation and the degree of severity of suicidal ideas Scale range: 0 - 38 (total score) Lower scores indicate lower severity of suicidal ideation (i.e., better outcome) Higher scores indicate higher severity of suicidal ideation (i.e., worse outcome)
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Change in WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) Range 0-38
changes in scores
Time frame: Up to 10 days (From screening/baseline to end of the acute treatment)
Proportion of Patients Maintaining Response During Relapse Prevention
Includes number of treatment days needed and number going on to receive ECT
Time frame: 24 weeks (Tapering and Relapse prevention phase)