A randomised controlled feasibility trial of intermittent theta burst stimulation with an open longer‐term follow‐up for young people with persistent anorexia nervosa (RaISE): Study protocol

Objective We present the protocol of a feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) for young people with anorexia nervosa (AN). Effective first‐line psychological therapies exist for young people with AN, but little is known about how to treat those w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	European eating disorders review Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 575 - 588
Main Authors:	Hemmings, Amelia, Gallop, Lucy, İnce, Başak, Cutinha, Darren, Kan, Carol, Simic, Mima, Zadeh, Ewa, Malvisi, Isabella, McKenzie, Katie, Zocek, Lucy, Sharpe, Helen, O’Daly, Owen, Campbell, Iain C., Schmidt, Ulrike
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England John Wiley and Sons, Limited 01-05-2024
Subjects:	Anorexia anorexia nervosa eating disorders feasibility randomised controlled trial intermittent theta burst stimulation neuromodulation neuromodulation feasibility randomised controlled trial eating disorders anorexia nervosa intermittent theta burst stimulation
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Summary:	Objective We present the protocol of a feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) for young people with anorexia nervosa (AN). Effective first‐line psychological therapies exist for young people with AN, but little is known about how to treat those who do not respond. Non‐invasive neuromodulation, such as iTBS, could address unmet treatment needs by targeting neurocircuitry associated with the development and/or maintenance of AN. Design Sixty‐six young people (aged 13–30 years) with persistent AN will be randomly allocated to receive 20 sessions of real or sham iTBS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in addition to their usual treatment. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, post‐treatment (1‐month post‐randomisation) and 4‐months post‐randomisation (when unblinding will occur). Additional open follow‐ups will be conducted at 12‐ and 24‐months post‐randomisation. The primary feasibility outcome is the proportion of participants retained in the study at 4‐months. Secondary outcomes include AN symptomatology, other psychopathology, quality of life, service utilisation, neurocognitive processes, and neuroimaging measures. Discussion Findings will inform the development of a future large‐scale RCT. They will also provide exploratory data on treatment efficacy, and neural and neurocognitive predictors and correlates of treatment response to iTBS in AN. HIGHLIGHTS This paper presents a study protocol of a triple‐blind feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) with an open longer‐term follow‐up, using intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) for young people with AN. It provides a clinical and scientific rationale for conducting a neuromodulation RCT in eating disorders. It is hoped that the findings will inform the development of a future large‐scale RCT investigating the clinical efficacy of iTBS for AN.
Bibliography:	Handling Editor Beate Herpertz‐Dahlmann Amelia Hemmings and Lucy Gallop have contributed equally to this work and share first authorship. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Undefined-3
ISSN:	1072-4133 1099-0968
DOI:	10.1002/erv.3073