Targeted temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) may modulate the abnormal electrophysiological activity in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), thereby improving their obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
This study will investigate the therapeutic effects and potential neural mechanisms of targeted temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) of the nucleus accumbens in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Participants will receive either active or sham tTIS for 5 consecutive days. Clinical symptoms will be assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and additional psychological questionnaires at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and during follow-up assessments. Behavioral tasks, including instrumental learning and probabilistic reversal learning paradigms, will be administered to assess intervention-related changes in behavioral performance. Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) and multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will be acquired before and after the intervention to evaluate intervention-related changes in brain function and structure. The study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of nucleus accumbens-targeted tTIS and to explore its potential behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms in OCD.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
80
Transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) is a novel neurostimulation technique that utilizes two or more electric fields of specific frequencies to modulate the oscillations of neurons at the desired spatial location in the brain. The physics of tTIS offers the advantage of noninvasively regulating deep brain structures and minimally stimulating the overlying cortex outside the selected target.
The Fourth People's Hospital of Anhui Province
Hefei, Anhui, China
RECRUITINGObsessive-compulsive symptoms
Obsessive-compulsive symptom severity will be assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The Y-BOCS total score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately after completion of the 5-day intervention (Day 5), and at 1-week, 1-month, and 3-month follow-up
Self-reported obsessive-compulsive symptoms
The reduction rate of the score of Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), a self-rating scale of OCD symptoms severity, was employed as a secondary outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, immediately after completion of the 5-day intervention (Day 5), and at 1-week, 1-month, and 3-month follow-up
Multimodal MRI measures
Multimodal MRI data will be acquired at baseline and after completion of the 5-day intervention using a 3.0-T MRI scanner. The imaging protocol includes T1-weighted and T2-weighted structural MRI, resting-state blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI, and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).
Time frame: Baseline, after completion of 5-day intervention
Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) measures
Resting-state EEG will be recorded at baseline and after completion of the 5-day intervention. Changes in EEG-derived neurophysiological measures between baseline and post-intervention will be assessed to characterize intervention-related alterations in brain activity.
Time frame: Baseline, after completion of 5-day intervention
Behavioral task performance
Behavioral task performance will be assessed at baseline and after the 5-day intervention using computerized cognitive tasks. Task-derived behavioral measures, such as instrumental learning tasks and probabilistic reversal learning tasks, will be analyzed to evaluate intervention-related changes in behavioral performance.
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Time frame: Baseline, after completion of the 5-day intervention