The Efficacy and Safety of ALIC/NAcc-DBS for Treatment-refractory OCD

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Interventions: Device: deep brain stimulation

• Registration Number: NCT04967560
• Lead Sponsor: Shanghai Mental Health Center

Brief Summary

The present study aims to explore the efficacy and safety of DBS targeted the combination of the anterior limb of internal capsule and nucleus accumbens (ALIC/NAcc-DBS) to refractory OCD, based on multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, sham-stimulation controlled design, that could help to obtain stronger evidence of the efficacy of multiple targets.

Detailed Description

OCD is a chronic and disabled mental disorder, with one third of patients could hardly get recovery from the medication and psychotherapy. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a novel potential surgical treatment for refractory OCD, however, the choose of targets are still controversial. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of bilateral DBS of the anterior limb of internal capsule and nucleus accumbens (ALIC/NAcc-DBS) for treatment-refractory OCD. In this multicenter, prospective, and double-blinded study, 64 patients with OCD who met the eligibility criteria will be enrolled and randomized allocated to active and sham-stimulation group, followed up for three months after surgery. Then the blind will be uncover, the sham group switch to true stimulation, all patients will be followed up at six months after surgery. The primary outcome was to compare the treatment response rate between the active group and sham-controlled group at the end of three months after surgery. The secondary outcomes include changes in the Yale-brown obsessive-compulsive scale (Y-BOCS), Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), Hamilton depression scale (HAMD), and Clinical global impressions (CGI) scale of both groups.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2021-07-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-07-08
• Study First Posted: 2021-07-19
• Study Start: 2021-07-30
• Primary Completion: 2023-11-13
• Study Completion: 2024-01-29
• Status Verified: 2025-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-05-14
• Last Update Posted: 2025-05-18

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 60

Inclusion Criteria

• aged 18-65 years old;
• a diagnosis of OCD based on The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5);
• suffered from severe OCD symptoms over 5 years with substantial functional impairment;
• the Y-BOCS total score ≥ 25;
• met the criteria of treatment refractory. Treatment refractory is defined as failed 1) at least three adequate therapeutic trials of serotin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs), with clomipramine being one of the SRIs trials, 2) the use of at least two atypical antipsychotics as augmenting agents, 3) at least 20 sessions of therapist-guided cognitive-behavioral therapy while on a therapeutic dose of an SRIs. These patients have "failed" treatment by demonstrating <25% reduction of Y-BOCS scores or, despite >25% reduction in YBOCS score, by still experiencing significant impairment from their illness.

Exclusion Criteria

• a history of current or past diagnosis of any psychosis according to DSM-5 except for OCD
• any clinical significant neurological disorder, traumatic brain injury, dementia, or medical illness
• any contradiction of neurosurgery
• any current or unstably remitted substance abuse or dependence
• women who are pregnant or preparing for pregnant
• severe suicide risk and tendency according to the investigators' judgements
• participate in any other clinical trials within three months (except for registered studies).

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
DBS sham-stimulation group	deep brain stimulation	The electrical stimulation will be 'turned-off' after programming in sham-stimulation group. The stimulation will begin until after completing three months of Y-BOCS and CGI assessments
DBS true-stimulation group	deep brain stimulation	The electrical stimulation will be 'turned-on' immediately after programming in true-stimulation group.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Treatment response rate	three month after stimulus	Our primary outcome measure was to compare the treatment response rate (TRR) between the active group and sham-controlled group at the end of three months. (TRR is defined as the number of treatment response/the number of group, a ≥35% reduction in Y-BOCS plus CGI=1or2 met the criteria of treatment response). Note: Y-BOCS, Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale; CGI, clinical global impression.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
the change scores of CGI at double-blinded stage	three month after stimulus	The Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) is an invaluable tool for monitoring the treatment outcomes of patients.The CGI actually comprises three companion one-item measures evaluating the following: (a) severity of psychopathology from 1 to 7, (b) change from the initiation of treatment on a similar seven-point scale, and (c) an overall evaluation of the theraputic effect and side effects.
the change scores of HAMD at double-blinded stage	three month after stimulus	The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression and is one of the most widely used and accepted instruments for assessing depression. It contains 24 items rated on 5-point scale, with the sum of all items making up the total score, yielding total scores from zero to 96. The higher score means more severity of depression symptoms.
the change scores of HAMD at open-label stage	six month after stimulus	The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression and is one of the most widely used and accepted instruments for assessing depression. It contains 24 items rated on 5-point scale, with the sum of all items making up the total score, yielding total scores from zero to 96. The higher score means more severity of depression symptoms.
the change scores of Y-BOCS at double-blinded stage	three month after stimulus	The severity of OCD symptoms was assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). This scale including 10 items, the maximum score is 40. The higher score means the more serious of disease.
the change scores of HAMA at double-blinded stage	three month after stimulus	The Hamilton Anxity Rating Scale (HAM-A) was one of the first rating scales developed to measure the severity of anxiety symptoms. The scale consists of 14 items, each defined by a series of symptoms, and measures both psychic anxiety and somatic anxiety. Each item is scored on a scale of 0 (not present) to 4 (severe), with a total score range of 0-56, where \<17 indicates mild severity, 18-24 mild to moderate severity and 25-30 moderate to severe.
the change scores of HAMA at open-label stage	six month after stimulus	The Hamilton Anxity Rating Scale (HAM-A) was one of the first rating scales developed to measure the severity of anxiety symptoms. The scale consists of 14 items, each defined by a series of symptoms, and measures both psychic anxiety and somatic anxiety. Each item is scored on a scale of 0 (not present) to 4 (severe), with a total score range of 0-56, where \<17 indicates mild severity, 18-24 mild to moderate severity and 25-30 moderate to severe.
the change scores of Y-BOCS at open-label stage	six month after stimulus	The severity of OCD symptoms was assessed using the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). This scale including 10 items, the maximum score is 40. The higher score means the more serious of disease.
the change scores of CGI at open-label stage	six month after stimulus	The Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) is an invaluable tool for monitoring the treatment outcomes of patients.The CGI actually comprises three companion one-item measures evaluating the following: (a) severity of psychopathology from 1 to 7, (b) change from the initiation of treatment on a similar seven-point scale, and (c) an overall evaluation of the theraputic effect and side effects.

Trial Locations

Locations (7)

The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University; 🇨🇳 Zhengzhou, Henan, China

Brains Hospital of Hunan Province; 🇨🇳 Changsha, Hunan, China

Shanghai Mental Health Center; 🇨🇳 Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Changhai Hospital; 🇨🇳 Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Huashan Hospital; 🇨🇳 Shanghai, Shanghai, China

West China Hospital; 🇨🇳 Chengdu, Sichuan, China

The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University; 🇨🇳 Kunming, Yunnan, China