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Gulf War SyndromeNCT03030794

Alleviating Headache and Pain in GWI With Neuronavigation Guided rTMS

A study testing Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in people with Gulf War Syndrome and Headache, run by Veterans Medical Research Foundation at 2 sites in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study aims to assess the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on Gulf War illness related headaches and pain. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Gulf War Syndrome, Headache
What is being tested?
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
90 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
Dec 2016to Jun 2019
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Male or female between ages 18-65
  • CDC Criteria for GWI
  • Kansas Criteria for GWI
  • International Headache Society Criteria for Migraine HA w/o aura
  • Average Headache Exacerbation Intensity >3 on 0-10 NPRS
  • Average Overall Daily Muscle Pain Intensity >3 on 0-10 NPRS
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  • Average Overall Daily Extremities Joint Pain Intensity >3 on 0-10 NPRS
  • Headache Exacerbation/Attack ≥ 3 times/week, lasting >4 hrs in past 3 months
  • Male or female between ages 18-65
  • Served at least 30 consecutive days in the Persian Gulf between 8/90-7/91

Who cannot join

  • Pregnancy
  • History of pacemaker implant
  • Any ferromagnetic (e.g. bullet fragment, shrapnel, device implant) in the brain or body that will prohibit the patients from having a brain MRI
  • History of dementia, major psychiatric diseases, or life threatening diseases
  • Presence of any other chronic neuropathic pain states such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or Painful Peripheral Neuropathy
  • History of seizure
Show all 32Show fewer
  • Pending litigation
  • Low back pain with mechanical origins such as lumbar radiculopathy or radiculitis or lumbar facet arthropathy
  • Lack of ability to understand the experimental protocol and to adequately communicate in English
  • History of Traumatic Brain injury
  • Chronic Tension or Cluster Headache
  • Ongoing Cognitive Rehabilitation or Treatment of PTSD
  • Criteria for healthy veterans without Gulf War Illness headaches and pain:
  • CDC Criteria for GWI
  • Kansas Criteria for GWI
  • International Headache Society Criteria for Migraine HA w/o aura
  • Average Headache Exacerbation Intensity >3 on 0-10 NPRS
  • Average Overall Daily Muscle Pain Intensity >3 on 0-10 NPRS
  • Average Overall Daily Extremities Joint Pain Intensity >3 on 0-10 NPRS
  • Headache Exacerbation/Attack ≥ 3 times/week, lasting >4 hrs in past 3 months
  • Pregnancy
  • History of pacemaker implant
  • Any ferromagnetic (e.g. bullet fragment, shrapnel, device implant) in the brain or body that will prohibit the patients from having a brain MRI
  • History of dementia, major psychiatric diseases, or life threatening diseases
  • Presence of any other chronic neuropathic pain states such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or Painful Peripheral Neuropathy
  • History of seizure
  • Pending litigation
  • Low back pain with mechanical origins such as lumbar radiculopathy or radiculitis or lumbar facet arthropathy
  • Lack of ability to understand the experimental protocol and to adequately communicate in English
  • History of Traumatic Brain injury
  • Chronic Tension or Cluster Headache
  • Ongoing Cognitive Rehabilitation or Treatment of PTSD

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

United States2 sites
  • Naval Medical Center San Diego

    San Diego, California, 92134

  • Veteran Affairs Hospital

    San Diego, California, 92161

Other trials in United States

About this study

This study aims to assess the effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on Gulf War illness related headaches and pain.

Read the detailed description

Headaches (HA) and wide spread pain are some of the most common debilitating symptoms in Gulf War Veterans (GWV) with Gulf War Illness (GWI). Migraine like HA and diffuse body pain were detected in 64% of GWV with GWI. This high prevalence of chronic HA and diffuse body pain conditions are often associated with neuropsychological dysfunction in mood, attention, memory and other systemic symptoms, which cast a profound negative impact on patients' quality of life. Unfortunately, conventional pharmacological treatments for GWI related headaches and pain (GWI-HAP) has not been shown to be effective and drugs such as narcotics contain many long term untoward psychosomatic and abusive side effects. Therefore, developing and validating non-invasive and low risk innovative treatment for this patient population is warranted. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is currently a US FDA approved treatment for major depression and migraine HA.

Being tested
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (sham)
Keywords
Gulf War Illness, Headache, Muscle Pain, Joint Pain, TMS
Medical subject headings
Persian Gulf Syndrome, Headache, Myalgia, Arthralgia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulationDevice

    A non-invasive method of brain stimulation that emits a magnetic pulse.

  • Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (sham)Device

    No brain stimulation will be administered.

Study groups in NCT03030794
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Repetitive TMSActive comparatorSubjects will receive the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation study procedure.
Receives: Device: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
No (blocked) repetitive TMSPlacebo comparatorSubjects will not receive the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation study procedure by blocking the stimulation between the coil and the head, but the audiovisual conditions will be mimicked.
Receives: Device: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (sham)

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Daily Headache and Pain Log

    This is a daily self-reporting log that tracks headache, muscle pain, and joint pain levels. The pain levels are scored from 0-10 with 10 being the worst possible pain.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  2. Headache Impact Test 6 (HIT-6)

    This 6-question form assesses the severity of headache pain and is scored with a range of 36-78. The higher score, the higher the impact of headaches on functional ability.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  3. 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

    This assessment has 9 questions about pain level, relief, and interference. Pain level and interference questions range from 0-10, with 10 being the worst. Level of relief has a range of 0-100%, with 100% being complete relief.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  4. Opioid Medication Assessment

    This is a self-reporting log that tracks opioid medication usage. Average daily dosages are converted to equal-potent oral Morphine Sulfate dosage and reported in milligrams.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  5. Mechanical-Visual Analogue Scale

    This scale measures the level of headache, muscle, and joint pain at each visit. This ranges from 0-100, with 100 being the worst possible pain.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

Secondary outcomes (13)
  1. Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI)

    This is a 22-question self-report assessment that tracks symptoms over time. Each question ranges from 0-4, with 4 being very severe. The total NSI score ranges from 0-88.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  2. Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ)

    This self-reporting survey contains 15 questions that describe the type of pain. Each descriptor is scored between 0-3, with 3 being severe pain. The total score then ranges from 0-45. This questionnaire is filled out one each for joint pain and one for muscle pain.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  3. New Clinical Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria

    This form contains a checklist of 19 possible areas for muscle pain. The checkmarks are tallied to give the Widespread Pain Index score, which ranges from 0-19. A score of 19 would suggest muscle pain in all 19 possible locations.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  4. Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR)

    This 3-part questionnaire measures the level of interference the pain causes, the overall impact of the pain, and intensity of the symptoms. There are a total of 21 questions, each with a range of 0-10, with 10 being either "very difficult" or "always." The FIQR total has a range of 0-210.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  5. Conners Continuous Performance Test 2 (CPT2)

    This is a 15-minute attention task administered on a laptop. The subject is prompted to press the spacebar as quickly as possible after every letter that appears on the screen except for the letter X. The exam is automatically scored by the program and reports omission rate and response latency. The attentional cognitive function is tracked by their change in these scores over time.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  6. Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT)

    This is a memory and recall task that requires the subject to memorize a list of 10 words and recall them. There are 3 trials and they are scored just by the number of words that can be recalled each time, which can be from 0-10 for a total range of 0-30 words. The second part of this test rates their recognition discrimination index by asking if certain words were on the original list. This is scored by taking the number of true positives and subtracting the false positives. The range for this is from 0-12, with 12 indicative of better discrimination within memory.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  7. Trailmaking Test A&B

    This is a timed test that is administered to assess executive function. Both tests have a series of numbers or numbers and letters that are to be connected in sequential order. The faster the completion time, the better the executive function.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  8. This is a timed test that is administered to assess executive function. Both tests have a series of numbers or numbers and letters that are to be connected in sequential order. The faster the completion time, the better the executive function.

    This is an administered IQ test that is designed to measure intelligence and cognitive ability in adults and older adolescents. There are several parts to the test, with each response being scored from 0-2 or 0-4 based on the quality of the answer or the completion time. The raw scores are then converted to scaled scores and summed to give the Full Scale score. The higher the Full Scale score, the higher the IQ classification.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  9. Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression

    This questionnaire rates the severity of depression in 21 questions. Each question either ranges from 0-2 or 0-4. The sum of the scores would give the total score, where a higher score would mean more severe depression.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  10. 36-Item Short Form Survey Instrument (SF-36)

    This is a 38-question survey that assesses physical function, physical health limitations, emotional problem limitations, fatigue, emotional well-being, social functioning, pain, and general health. The scoring follows the official guidelines by RAND, where certain questions determine each health aspect. The questions are rated from 1-5, and then scored from 0-100. Each health aspect will have a range of 0-100, with 100 suggesting a more favorable health state.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  11. Sleep Quality Assessment (PSQI)

    This is self-reporting survey has 9 questions and determines the quality and patterns of sleep. Questions are either free-response or have a range from 0-3, with 3 being "more frequent" or "very bad." The responses will be scored based on the guidelines at the bottom of the page. The global PSQI score then has a range of 0-21, with 21 indicative of poor sleep quality.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  12. Insomnia Severity Index

    This survey has 7 questions that rate the severity of insomnia problems. All questions range from 0-4 and the sum of the answers would give the total score. The total score range from 0-28, with 28 being severe clinical insomnia.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

  13. Flinders Fatigue Scale

    This questionnaire contains 7 questions in order to determine the level of fatigue one is experiencing. The questions range from 1-5, with 5 being "extremely" or "entirely." The higher one scores, the more severe the fatigue.

    Measured: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted25 Jan 2017 (estimated)
  2. Study startDec 2016
  3. Primary completionJun 2019
  4. Study completionJun 2019

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
90 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03030794
Sponsor's protocol ID
H160047
Status last verified
Aug 2018
First submitted
4 Jan 2017
Last updated
18 Jan 2020
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Leung A, Donohue M, Xu R, Lee R, Lefaucheur JP, Khedr EM, Saitoh Y, Andre-Obadia N, Rollnik J, Wallace M, Chen R. rTMS for suppressing neuropathic pain: a meta-analysis. J Pain. 2009 Dec;10(12):1205-16. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2009.03.010. Epub 2009 May 23.

    PubMed 19464959
  • Leung A, Shukla S, Fallah A, Song D, Lin L, Golshan S, Tsai A, Jak A, Polston G, Lee R. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Managing Mild Traumatic Brain Injury-Related Headaches. Neuromodulation. 2016 Feb;19(2):133-41. doi: 10.1111/ner.12364. Epub 2015 Nov 10.

    PubMed 26555886
  • Lei K, Kunnel A, Metzger-Smith V, Golshan S, Javors J, Wei J, Lee R, Vaninetti M, Rutledge T, Leung A. Diminished corticomotor excitability in Gulf War Illness related chronic pain symptoms; evidence from TMS study. Sci Rep. 2020 Oct 28;10(1):18520. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-75006-8.

    PubMed 33116195

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in people with Gulf War Syndrome and Headache, run by Veterans Medical Research Foundation at 2 sites in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 32 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Jan 2020. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Daily Headache and Pain Log (time frame: 2 months for each subject (11 visits)). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03030794, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Jan 2020.

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