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Low-intensity Ultrasound for Individuals With Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
Sponsor: University of Calgary
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU), a non-invasive form of brain stimulation, can change brain activity and improve thinking and decision-making in adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The main questions it aims to answer are: Can active LIFU change activity in brain pathways involved in OCD? Can active LIFU improve the ability to control thoughts and actions? Researchers will compare active LIFU with sham LIFU to see whether active LIFU causes changes in brain activity and performance on behavioral tasks. Participants will: Complete questionnaires and behavioral tasks. Have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to measure brain activity and identify the area to receive LIFU. Receive both active and sham LIFU on separate visits. Have MRI scans and complete behavioral tasks after each LIFU session. Complete assessments of OCD symptoms, safety, and possible side effects.
Official title: Novel Neuromodulation With Low-intensity Ultrasound (LIFU) for Individuals With Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (LIFU-OCD)
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 70 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
20
Start Date
2026-11-01
Completion Date
2028-03-31
Last Updated
2026-10-14
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Low-intensity focused ultrasound (Active)
Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) will be delivered using an in-house system with a 128-element focused-ultrasound array operating at 500 kHz. The stimulation parameters are a pulse repetition frequency of 100 Hz, pulse duration of 1 ms, duty cycle of 10%, and pulse train duration of 90 seconds. LIFU will be delivered to an individualized target within the anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC) that has the strongest connection to the prefrontal cortex, identified using diffusion MRI and probabilistic tractography. Sham LIFU will be delivered during the sham condition.
Low-intensity focused ultrasound (Sham)
Sham LIFU will be delivered to the third ventricle using the same LIFU system.
Locations (1)
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada