Feasibility and Efficacy of rTMS in Depression in Patients With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

rTMS: Patients receive 20 sessions of intermittent theta burst stimulation of the left CPFDL over 5 days (4 sessions of 10 minutes per day with a 50-minute interval between each session). The CPFDL is located using neuronavigation, which requires an MRI scan (without contrast agent injection) before the sessions.

rTMS treatment with intermittent Theta Burst (ITBS): rTMS (iTBS) treatment with stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Localization is performed using neuronavigation. There are four 10-minute sessions per day, with a 50-minute interval between each session.

Study summary

Depression is a common complication of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): it is four times more prevalent in people with ASD than in the general population.

However, treating depression in people with ASD is complicated by the lack of guidelines. Antidepressants appear to be less effective and less well tolerated than in the general population.

rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) is a technique that stimulates the brain in a painless and non-invasive way. This technique is well tolerated and has very few side effects (headaches, fatigue). It is now used routinely in clinical practice to treat resistant depression, with satisfactory results.

A few studies using rTMS in depression in people with ASD have shown encouraging results and avenues for improvement.

It could therefore be interesting to conduct a therapeutic study with rTMS on depression in people with ASD, following the avenues for improvement proposed by previous studies.

The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of rTMS in depressed patients with ASD by looking at changes in mood before and after treatment. The investigator will also look at the effects on executive and attentional functions and repetitive behaviors, as well as treatment tolerance.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Difference in MADRS (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale ) score before versus after treatment. — From enrollment to the end of the data collecting process : 2 months.
  Upon inclusion, patients are assessed for mood using the MADRS.(inclusion criterion: MADRS\>20). The primary endpoint is the change in MADRS score one week after the end of treatment and one month after the end of treatment. score ranges from 0 to 60. The higher the score, the more severe the disorder is.

Trial sites (1)

More Hospital Center Guillaume Régnier trials in France

Other trials for the same condition