Clinical trial NCT05708976: HypErthermia as an Additional Treatment for the Biology and Experience of Depression: Study 2
Official title: HypErthermia as an Additional Treatment for the Biology and Experience of Depression: Study 2
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder
Depression
Keywords: hyperthermia
heat therapy
passive heating
Lead sponsor: University of California, San Francisco
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
First posted: 2023-02-01
Enrollment: 30
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Participants are randomized to one of two study arms
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: This randomized two-arm intervention trial administers 8 weekly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) sessions and 4 bi-weekly active whole-body hyperthermia (active WBH) sessions or 4 bi-weekly sham WBH sessions to adults aged 18 years or older with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Detailed description: Major Depressive Disorder afflicts more than 300 million people worldwide and is the leading cause of life years lost to disability. Current treatments have important limitations in efficacy and, in the case of medication, substantial side-effects. There is thus a compelling need for additional effective, well-tolerated treatments. One such potential treatment is whole-body hyperthermia (WBH). The investigators hypothesize that active WBH may be particularly effective in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), an established treatment for depression. This randomized two-arm trial will pilot and optimize procedures for randomizing participants to receive CBT (8 weekly sessions) and 4 bi-weekly whole-body hyperthermia (active WBH) or 4 bi-weekly sham WBH sessions. This work holds important promise to improve treatment of depression and advance understanding of the role of integrated mind-body therapies for mood disorders.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age of at least 18 years old
* Current major depressive episode of at least 2 weeks duration as assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID) and a Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDIII) score \> 21 at screening
* Able to understand the nature of the study and able to provide written informed consent prior to conduct of any study procedures
* Must have smartphone onto which the participant can download an app from Apple App or Google Play stores
* Ability to lie supine (on back) for 2 hours (required for sauna sessions)

Exclusion Criteria:

* \>30% reduction in BDI-II score between Screen #1 and Screen #2 (conducted \~1 week after Screen #1)
* Suicide attempt in the past 12 months defined using the SAMHSA suicidality question during the clinician-administered interview or active suicidal ideation as indexed by a score of 3 on the BDI-II suicidality item during the clinician-administered interview
* Any of the following medical conditions: cardiovascular disease (other than controlled hypertension), seizure disorder, history of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or other serious neurological condition (e.g. Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, or dementia), current neoplasia, any active enclosed infection (e.g. dental abscess, joint infection), hemophilia or other cause for excessive bleeding (e.g. platelet disorder), or other medical condition that in the opinion of investigators may increase the risk of WBH
* Comorbid psychiatric conditions or history of comorbid psychiatric conditions that might better explain depressive symptoms, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, Bipolar Disorder I, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Alcohol Dependence, or Drug Dependence
* Known hypersensitivity to hyperthermia and/or infrared exposure
* Inability to fit into the sauna device
* Breast implants
* Pregnancy, active lactation or intention to become pregnant during the study period
* Use of any medication that might impact thermoregulatory capacity, including: Diuretics, barbiturates, beta-blockers, antipsychotic agents, anti-cholinergic agents or chronic use of antihistamines, aspirin (other than low-dose ASA for prophylactic purposes), medication prescribed for the treatment of depression (antidepressant medication \[ADM\]) including but not limited to: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors \[SSRIs\], Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors \[SNRIs\], Monoamine oxidase inhibitors \[MAOIs\], Tricyclics \[TCAs\], and atypical antipsychotic and antidepressant medications (participants must have been free of these medications for at least 4 weeks), antibiotics (past 14 days), pain medication (opioids) due to procedure, e.g., dental procedure (past 14 days), Emergency contraception pill (past 14 days) any other medication that in the judgment of the PI would increase risk of study participation or introduce excessive variance into physiological or behavioral responses to WBH recent use (multiple consecutive doses) of: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), systemic corticosteroids, cytokine antagonists
* Regular use of any nicotine products, including cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco, or other forms of nicotine (if use is not regular, must be willing to refrain for 24 hours before and 24 hours after WBH session)
* Unwilling to refrain from using marijuana products and alcohol for the 24 hours before and 24 hours after WBH session
* Unwilling to refrain from heavy exercise on the day of WBH sessions
* Unwilling to refrain from engaging with sauna, hot yoga, cold plunges, cryotherapy, and hot tub/jacuzzi outside of study (prospective participant must not have engaged with any of these activities for 30 days prior to their baseline study visit).
* Has begun new psychotherapy treatment in the prior 6 weeks

Primary outcomes:
measure: Net Promoter Score
timeFrame: 12 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)
timeFrame: Baseline and 12 weeks
measure: Change in Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information Systems (PROMIS) 8a Depression
timeFrame: Baseline and 12 weeks
measure: Change in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 6-item (HAMD-6) Self-Report
timeFrame: Baseline and 12 weeks
measure: Change in Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information Systems (PROMIS) 4a Anxiety
timeFrame: Baseline and 12 weeks
Other outcomes:
measure: Sudden gains in antidepressant responses
timeFrame: 2-3 weeks
Locations:
city: San Francisco
country: United States
facility: University of California San Francisco
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: University of California, San Francisco
name: Ashley E Mason, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: University of California, San Francisco
name: Frederick M Hecht, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Mason AE, Fisher SM, Chowdhary A, Guvva E, Veasna D, Floyd E, Fender SB, Raison C. Feasibility and acceptability of a Whole-Body hyperthermia (WBH) protocol. Int J Hyperthermia. 2021;38(1):1529-1535. doi: 10.1080/02656736.2021.1991010.
citation: Janssen CW, Lowry CA, Mehl MR, Allen JJ, Kelly KL, Gartner DE, Medrano A, Begay TK, Rentscher K, White JJ, Fridman A, Roberts LJ, Robbins ML, Hanusch KU, Cole SP, Raison CL. Whole-Body Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016 Aug 1;73(8):789-95. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.1031.
citation: Hanusch KU, Janssen CH, Billheimer D, Jenkins I, Spurgeon E, Lowry CA, Raison CL. Whole-body hyperthermia for the treatment of major depression: associations with thermoregulatory cooling. Am J Psychiatry. 2013 Jul;170(7):802-4. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.12111395. No abstract available.