A Preliminary Investigation of Pre-Frontal Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for the Treatment of Cannabis Use Disorder
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
This investigation will preliminarily determine if a course of high-frequency rTMS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, will reduce behavioral craving, and fMRI cue-reactivity in treatment-seeking cannabis use disordered participants.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Phase 2 |
Detailed Description
The overarching goal of this proposal is to investigate if a course of excitatory DLPFC rTMS results in reduced cannabis behavioral craving in treatment-seeking individuals with CUD (Aim1). Additionally, the investigators seek to explore the mechanistic underpinnings of any observed effect, by collecting functional magnetic resonance imaging data during cannabis cue administration before and after the treatment course (Aim 2). These aims will be addressed through a nine-week, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled study in which 72 treatment-seeking cannabis use disordered participants (36/group) will be given 20 sessions of either Active or Sham excitatory rTMS applied to the DLPFC. rTMS will be delivered over five weeks (2 sessions each day, two days each week). rTMS will be applied in conjunction with a validated three-session Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) behavioral intervention.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Active rTMS 10 Hz rTMS applied to the left DLPFC |
Device: Active rTMS
rTMS will be delivered via a MagPro double blinded rTMS Research System (MagVenture, Denmark) with a Cool-B65 Butterfly Coil (a combined active and sham coil). We will use a standard resting motor threshold (rMT) determination to determine the TMS dose. Study-treatment will be delivered at 120% rMT. Each active rTMS study-treatment will consist of a total of 4000 pulses of 10Hz stimulation (5s-on,10s-off). Study-treatments will be delivered at the EEG coordinate for F3 (which approximates the left DLPFC), and will be found using the Beam-F3 method.
|
| Sham Comparator: Sham rTMS Sham rTMS applied to the left DLPFC |
Device: Sham rTMS
Sham sessions will be delivered using an electronic sham system consisting of a coil that mimics the appearance and sound of rTMS, combined with a TENS device which produces a small electric shock mimicking the feeling of active rTMS. This type of sham has been demonstrated to be indistinguishable from active rTMS.
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Behavioral Craving [5-weeks]
The investigators hypothesize that as compared to those participants receiving sham rTMS, those participants receiving active rTMS will have a reduced level of behavioral cannabis craving prior to their final rTMS session as compared to prior to their first rTMS session. The investigators will measure behavioral cannabis craving using the marijuana craving questionnaire.
- Cue Reactivity [5-weeks]
The investigators hypothesize that as compared to those participants receiving sham rTMS, those participants receiving active rTMS will have a reduced percent signal change in BOLD response in reward structures during a validated cue-reactivity fMRI paradigm prior to their final rTMS session as compared to prior to their first rTMS session.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Abstinence [9 weeks]
The investigators hypothesize that those participants receiving active rTMS will be more likely to be abstinent over the final four-weeks of the study period than those receiving sham rTMS. We will define abstinence as no self-reported cannabis use verified by urine cannabinoid levels.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
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Participants must be able to provide informed consent and function at an intellectual level sufficient to allow accurate completion of all assessment instruments.
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Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 60.
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Participants must meet DSM-5 criteria for at least moderate Cannabis Use Disorder, with use of at least 20 out of the last 28 days.
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Participants must express a desire to quit cannabis.
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Participants must have a Positive UDS for cannabis during their baseline visit (confirming they are regular users).
Exclusion Criteria:
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Participants must not be pregnant or breastfeeding.
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Participants must not meet moderate or severe use disorder of any other substance with the exception of Nicotine Use Disorder.
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Participants must not be on any medications that have central nervous system effects.
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Participants must not have a history of/or current psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder.
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Participants must not have any other Axis I condition requiring current treatment and must have a HRSD24 ≤10 indicating no clinically relevant depressive symptoms.
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Participants must not have a history of Dementia or other cognitive impairment.
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Participants must not have active suicidal ideation, or a suicide attempt within the past 90 days.
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Participants must not have any contraindications to receiving rTMS (e.g. metal implanted above the head, history of seizure, any known brain lesion).
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Participants must not have any unstable general medical conditions.
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford University | Palo Alto | California | United States | 94304 |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Stanford University
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Gregory Sahlem, MD, Stanford University
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 56294
- K23DA043628