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rTMS and Botulinum Toxin in Benign Essential Blepharospasm

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Benign Essential Blepharospasm
Registration Number
NCT02370875
Lead Sponsor
University of Florida
Brief Summary

Benign essential blepharospasm (BEB) is a functionally disabling focal dystonia. Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) therapy is suboptimal in many BEB patients. Repetitious transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) therapy is a promising noninvasive therapy and has shown positive benefits in BEB. rTMS therapy can be easily combined with BoNT injections to enhance the effects of BoNT in BEB.

Detailed Description

A two week course of rTMS therapy to achieve sustained benefits will be employed. With standard BoNT treatment, the peak-dose benefits are seen at about 4-6 weeks after the administration of injections. rTMS will be introduced during this peak-dose period (about 6 weeks after BoNT or T1).The effects of combined therapy at about 10 weeks after BoNT injections (T2) and at about 12 weeks after BoNT injections (T3) will be examined along with the physiological effects at these time points.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
12
Inclusion Criteria
  • subjects diagnosed with blepharospasm or cranio-cervical dystonia who receive BoNT therapy at the Center for Movement Disorders will be approached. The investigators will enroll only those subjects who report experiencing positive benefits with BoNT but lasting about 10 weeks or less.
Exclusion Criteria
  • pregnancy
  • active seizure disorder
  • significant cognitive impairment
  • exposure to neuroleptics
  • presence of a metallic body such as pacemaker, implants, prosthesis, artificial limb or joint, shunt, metal rods and hearing aid.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in JRS Frequency Score2 weeks after rTMS

The change in the score of the Jankovic Rating Scale subscore for frequency. Rated on a 5-point scale (0-4), where a higher score indicates higher frequency of forced blinks in blepharospasm.

Change in Number of Sustained Forced Eye Blinks2 weeks after rTMS

A video recording (5 minutes) was scored by two blinded neurologists to count the number of sustained forced eye-blinks.

Change in JRS Severity Score2 weeks after rTMS

The change in the score of the Jankovic Rating Scale subscore for severity. Rated on a 5-point scale (0-4), where a higher score indicates higher severity of blepharospasm.

Change in Duration of Forced Blinks2 weeks after rTMS

A video recording (5 minutes) was scored by two blinded neurologists to count the duration of sustained forced eye-blinks.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in CDQ-24 QOL Score2 weeks after rTMS

Change in score of the Craniocervical dystonia questionnaire (CDQ-24), a self-reported questionnaire designed to evaluate the impact of dystonia on activities of daily living and quality of life. The total CDQ-24 score can therefore range from 0 to 96, with higher scores meaning greater impairment due to dystonia.

Change in CDQ-24 ADL Subscore2 weeks after rTMS

Change in Actitivities of Daily Living (ADL) subscore of the Craniocervical dystonia questionnaire (CDQ-24), a questionnaire designed to evaluate quality of life outcomes for patients with dystonia. The ADL subscore is obtained from 6 of the 24 questions. Each question is rated on a 5-point scale (0-4), where a higher number indicates increasing severity of impairment for that daily activity due to dystonia. The total ADL subscore takes the sum of the number from five questions (a value from 0 to 24), then linearly transforms that sum to a 0-100 scale, where a higher score means greater impairment in daily life.

Change in Social Subscale of CDQ-242 weeks after rTMS

Change in the social subscore of the Craniocervical dystonia questionnaire (CDQ-24), a questionnaire designed to evaluate quality of life outcomes for patients with dystonia. The social subscore is obtained from 4 of the 24 questions. Each question is rated on a 5-point scale (0-4), where a higher number indicates increasing severity of social impairment due to dystonia. The total social subscore can therefore range from 0 to 16, with higher scores meaning greater impairment of social activities.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration

🇺🇸

Gainesville, Florida, United States

Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration
🇺🇸Gainesville, Florida, United States

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