Clinical Research Directory

Using Personalized Assessments in the Treatment of Childhood OCD

The primary purpose of this study is to learn whether personalized assessment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms in childhood OCD using mobile health technology are feasible and acceptable for youth and parents. The investigators will also examine whether personalized cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that is informed by personalized OCD assessments yields better clinical outcomes when compared to standard CBT for youth with OCD

Project EMPOWER-OCD

This research study aims to adapt and evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of Project EMPOWER-OCD for socioeconomically diverse caregivers of patients with OCD. Designed to reduce obstacles (e.g. months long time commitment, high cost, transportation) to treatment that caregivers may be particularly prone to, project EMPOWER-OCD will provide targeted intervention of accommodation - a well-established, potentially modifiable risk factor for child anxiety, OCD, and its related disorders - in a single, self-guided session via an online format.

Improving Obsessive-compulsive Disorder Treatments: From Lesions to Neuromodulation Targets

While in most cases of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) a cause cannot be identified, this syndrome may develop as a consequence of focal brain lesions. Neuropsychiatric disorders secondary to brain insults are open windows to understand their underlying neurobiology. Different neuroimaging analysis methods, including pooled lesion topography and lesion network mapping, can be used to study lesional neuropsychiatric syndromes, including OCD. If successful, these strategies can also reveal new neuromodulation treatment targets, including for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Indeed, TMS targets to treat depression evolved from evidence extracted from lesional studies that were then refined and validated. For OCD treatment with TMS, already approved by the FDA and European Commission, targets were defined using a distinct approach, not involving causal brain lesions, which may contribute to lower than desirable remission rates. Lesional OCD is characterized by specific dysfunctional brain circuits. These circuits may be effectively targeted by TMS, which may optimize treatment of OCD. To address these hypotheses, we will test the therapeutic benefits of optimizing brain targets for the currently used TMS treatment of OCD, using information from the lesional-OCD brain network namely refining the target in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, bilaterally. Specifically, we will conduct a randomized clinical interventional study, using TMS to treat patients with OCD with inadequate response to other treatments, comparing, within the approved protocol for OCD treatment, the most frequently used stimulation site with a new target, adjusted according to the connectivity of lesions associated with the occurrence of OCD. If successful, our results may have immediate clinical implications in OCD treatment, as it will contribute to refine current therapeutic TMS strategies for OCD and defining new clinical research strategies in this domain.

Deep Brain Stimulation for Refractory Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if deep brain stimulation (DBS) works to treat refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The main questions it aims to answer are: * Assess the effects of the anteromedial sub-thalamic nucleus (amSTN)stimulation on obsessive/compulsive symptoms. * Map the amSTN using neuronal responses \[single unit and local field potentials (LFP) recordings\] at rest and under high frequency stimulation during surgery. * Record chronic brain activity with the implanted pulse generator and look for neuronal signatures correlated with symptom severity. Researchers will compare active deep brain stimulation to a placebo (sham stimulation) to see if DBS works to treat refractory OCD. Participants will: * Undergo surgery for the implantation of a deep brain stimulation device * Follow-up visits every three weeks with study staff * 6 month follow-up for the next 2-3 years after first year of study participation is complete

Feasibility, Clinical Effects, and Safety of Psilocybin-assisted Psychotherapy for Treatment-resistant OCD

Psilocybin, the chemical component of "magic mushrooms", has been administered with psychotherapy in several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) showing large and sustained antidepressant effects. There is interest to see if similar effects may be provided in those with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and clinical effects of psilocybin administration in those with OCD. Ten participants with treatment-resistant OCD will receive two doses of 25mg of psilocybin under supportive conditions, two weeks apart. The investigators hypothesize that two sessions of psilocybin 25mg administered under supportive conditions to participants with treatment-resistant OCD will lead to significant reductions in OCD symptoms.

A Clinical Trial of Tolcapone in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

The primary aim of the present study is to examine the efficacy and safety of tolcapone in adults with moderate to severe OCD.

Brain Network Changes Accompanying and Predicting Responses to Pharmacotherapy in OCD

The proposed randomized, double-blind research study will use functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging using state-of-the-art HCP acquisition protocols and analytic pipelines, to identify predictors and correlates of response to an accepted first-line pharmacological treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

ICBT for OCD in Children With Autism

The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the clinical efficacy, the cost-effectiveness and the effect durability of a therapist-guided, internet-delivered cognitive-behavior therapy intervention for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents with autism. A process evaluation of the treatment will also be conducted.

tDCS for Treatment Resistant Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

It's a multicentric, randomized, controlled study concerning 100 patients with treatment-resistant obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD). The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on OCD patients.

Treating Adolescent Obsessive Compulsive Disorder With Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

This is a pilot study to examine the tolerability, safety and early efficacy of two forms of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treating adolescents with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) who have experienced limited improvements with usual treatments for OCD in adolescents. The project's primary goal is to examine whether adolescents can complete 3 consecutive weeks of TMS administered 5 days per week, and to describe the type of and how common individual side effects with TMS occur in adolescents with OCD. Participants will: * visit the clinic every weekday for 3 weeks (15 days) to receive TMS treatments * have a brain MRI scan before TMS treatments begins and after finishing all TMS * complete questionnaires and report changes in behavior and physical symptoms

Effects of Psilocybin in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

This study will test the feasibility, safety, and evidence for efficacy of psilocybin administration in participants with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). This will serve as a preliminary proof of concept study for future larger studies aimed to investigate the utility, cognitive mechanisms, and neural correlates of this intervention.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Potentiation of Fear Extinction in OCD

The investigators want to learn more about how human beings learn not to fear and the impact of changing the fear network in the brain using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The investigators hope this study will help us understand how future treatments can help patients with OCD better control unwanted fear.

Phase II Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

This research study is for participants that have been diagnosed with intractable Obsessive -compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a persistent and oftentimes disabling disorder marked by unwanted and distressing thoughts (obsessions) and irresistible repetitive behaviors. OCD affects 2-3% of the US population, and is responsible for substantial functional impairment and increased risk of early death. The only established first-line treatments for OCD are cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention and certain medications. About 30-40% of patients fail to respond and few experience complete symptom resolution. Up to 25% of patients have difficulty tolerating CBT and the risk of relapse after therapies remains large. For the most severe cases, neurosurgery (surgery in the brain), has long been the option of last resort. In this study the investigators want develop an adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation (aDBS) system to use in subjects with intractable (hard to control) OCD. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) remains investigational for OCD patients and is not considered standard therapy. DBS involves the surgical implantation of leads and electrodes into specific areas of the brain, which are thought to influence the disease. A pack implanted in the chest, called the neurotransmitter, keeps the electrical current coursing to the brain through a wire that connects the neurotransmitter and electrodes. It is believed DBS may restore balance to dysfunctional brain circuitry implicated in OCD. The goal of this study is to enhance current approaches to DBS targeting in the brain and to use a novel approach to find a better and more reliable system for OCD treatment. This current research protocol will focus on the completion of Phase II which will implant the RC+S system with ECoG paddles in 5 subjects.

Measuring Automated Behavioral Observations & Vocal Expressions (ABOVE)

The investigators propose to synchronize automated measurements of behavior - head, body, and face dynamics, gaze, and vocal prosody - with simultaneous recordings of brain activity in clinically relevant contexts.

Imaging-Guided Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound (LIFU)

This research study is to investigate the safety, feasibility, and possible therapeutic benefits of a technology called Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound (LIFU) in patients with obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD). The device used in this study transmits high frequency sound waves to a particular region of the brain called the Ventral Striatum (VS). LIFU is a non-invasive form of stimulation, which can be used to stimulate deep regions of the brain. In this study, the investigators will administer LIFU to activate the VS area of the brain while also observing this brain stimulation with an MRI machine. Other aims of this study include learning more about the patterns of brain activity associated with OCD and seeing if brain activity changes as symptoms of OCD change over time during the two weeks of LIFU stimulation. Participants in this study will be asked to perform computer administered behavioral tasks -- similar to simple computer games -- to examine whether certain features of OCD (e.g., avoidance of feared triggers) change over the course of LIFU stimulation. The treatment phase of this research study is expected to last two weeks with three weekly (total of 6) treatment sessions all carried at the MRI brain imaging center at Baylor College of Medicine. There will be at least one additional screening visit before treatment starts and a series of follow up visits over a six-month period.

TMS + Exposure Therapy for Pediatric OCD

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare different forms of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for improving the outcomes of Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP) in youth and young adults with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Researchers will compare three groups: ERP with one of two different active ("real") forms of TMS vs. ERP with sham ("fake") TMS. The main questions this study aims to answer are: 1) whether TMS normalizes functioning in brain circuits that contribute to compulsive behavior, and 2) whether TMS reduces compulsions during ERP. Participants will: * Complete clinical interviews, questionnaires, and computerized tasks * Complete two MRIs (brain scans) * Receive daily TMS followed by ERP for two weeks (10 sessions)

Anxiety Skills Study

The purposes of this study are: (1) to identify baseline predictors of relative success in cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness-based treatments for anxiety, (2) explore who benefits from a brief, video-based skill training compared to receiving 4 sessions of therapy, and (3) to evaluate how durable these effects are over 1 year.

Understanding How Ketamine Brings About Rapid Improvement in OCD

The purpose of this study is to understand how ketamine brings about rapid improvement in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms.

Pilot Study of RR-HNK in OCD

The purpose of this study is to understand how RR-HNK works in the brain to bring about a reduction in OCD symptoms.

ERP Plus Improv Group Therapy for OCD (IMPROVE Study)

The goal of this study is to pilot test a novel group therapy intervention for adults with OCD.

Neural Mechanisms of Response Inhibition Training for OCRD

The impaired ability to suppress an inappropriate but pre-potent response (response inhibition; RI) characterizes several debilitating clinical problems, including obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRD) such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, trichotillomania, and skin picking disorder. There is a critical need to develop an effective and durable treatment for OCRDs with demonstrable evidence for improving impaired RI. The purpose of our project is to examine the impact of a novel computerized intervention, response inhibition training (RIT), on neural indices of RI, and examine the mechanistic link between engagement of the neural RI targets and change in OCRD symptoms. To this end, this project will conduct a randomized clinical trial for individuals with OCD, trichotillomania, and/or skin picking disorders. Participants will be randomly assigned to 8 to 16 sessions of computerized RIT or a computerized placebo training. Various clinical, behavioral, and brain-imaging data will be acquired to evaluate the training effects at baseline, post-training, and 1-month follow-up periods.

Precision Brain Mapping to Predict and Track Response to Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy in Youth With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether brain scan results can help predict and track changes in obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, symptoms in children and teens ages 10 to 17 who receive Exposure and Response Prevention therapy, also called ERP. ERP is a type of therapy in which participants practice facing OCD-related fears while resisting rituals or compulsions. The main question this study aims to answer is: Can each participant's pattern of brain connections, measured with functional MRI brain scans, help predict and track weekly changes in OCD symptoms during and after a 14-week course of ERP, including during planned monthly booster sessions and additional booster sessions offered if symptoms worsen? All participants will receive ERP. There is no placebo and no comparison group. Participants will: * Complete screening, consent or assent, interviews, questionnaires, and MRI safety checks * Receive 14 weekly ERP sessions * Complete OCD symptom assessments and functional MRI brain scans before, during, and after ERP * Receive planned monthly ERP booster sessions after the 14 weekly sessions * Receive additional brief ERP booster sessions if OCD symptoms worsen during follow-up * Take part for up to about 62 weeks

CBT Augmentation to Promote Medication Discontinuation in Pediatric OCD

The purpose of this study is to examine whether youth with OCD who benefit from CBT augmentation to SRI can discontinue their medication without relapse over 24 weeks.

Pathogenesis of Pediatric Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: Based on the Microbiota-gut-brain Axis

This study aims to investigate the characteristics of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in pediatric patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) through performing an integrated analysis of gut microbiota, serum metabolomics, neuroimaging and electroencephalography (EEG), conducted before and after treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The results will be compared with those of pediatric OCD paitents comorbid with tic disorder (TD) and healthy controls. The findings are expected to further elucidate the potential pathogenesis of OCD, providing a theoretical basis for identifying novel clinical intervention targets and optimizing treatment strategies.