An interventional study of Transcranial Pulse Stimulation in ADHD, sponsored by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Completed at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to participants aged 12 Years to 17 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-13.
Sponsored by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This is the first nationwide study using Transcranial Pulse Stimulation to evaluate its efficacy and safety on 30 young adolescents with ADHD. Six verum/ shamTPS sessions will be delivered to all subjects on a 1: 1 ratio, balanced by gender and age. Attention deficit, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and oppositional defiance will be the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include ADHD severity, frequency of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, executive function and neural connectivity changes via neuroimaging. Results emerging from this study will generate new knowledge to ascertain whether TPS can be used as a top-on treatment in ADHD.
Objectives of the study
Expected outcomes/Hypotheses:
Design: This is a two-armed, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial.
Sample size:
To the best of our knowledge, there is no interventional study evaluating the efficacy of TPS on ADHD. Based on our previous open label pilot RCT 37 evaluating TPS on adults with Major Depressive Disorder that showed a large effect size (f = 0.47), we hypothesize a large effect of TPS in this study. We used G*power version 3.1.9.4 to calculate the target sample size. With a statistical power of 95% and a statistical significance level at 0.05 to detect a large between-groups effect size (f) of 0.47 with 4 measurement time points, each group will require 15 subjects. A total sample of 30 is required in this trial. The attrition rate in our pilot MDD trial was 0%. We expect that the attrition rate in this ADHD trial would be \<5%. Subject dropping out the 2-week intervention period will be replaced by another enrolled subject in this pilot study.
Intervention (Transcranial Pulse Stimulation) Purpose of the intervention: The key tenets of the TPS intervention is neuromodulation, i.e., using ultrasound-based brain stimulation techniques to modulate the human brain in a focal and targeted manner. Intervention dose: Each participant should have the pre-treatment MRI scan performed in the University Research Facility in Behavioural and Systems Neuroscience, PolyU prior coming to the first intervention session. All participants (both TPS group and the sham-control group) will receive six 30 minute-TPS sessions (800 pulse in each session, total: 4800 pulse) in 2 weeks' time. Participants will be followed up immediately after post-stimulation in Week 2, and at 1-month and 3- month period after the intervention. The investigators believe that a 2-week TPS intervention is sufficient enough to test the effects of TPS on improving inattention and hyperactivity.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is the lead sponsor of 659 studies on the registry; 250 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Subjects in the TPS group will be given 6 verum TPS sessions (Pulse: 800 / session) across two weeks time, with 3 sessions per week.
Device: Transcranial Pulse Stimulation
Subjects in the Sham TPS group will be given 6 sham TPS sessions across two weeks time, with 3 sessions per week.
Device: Transcranial Pulse Stimulation
A total of 36 participants (both TPS group and the sham-control group) will receive six 30 minute-TPS sessions (800 pulse in each session, total: 4800 pulse) in 2 weeks' time (i.e., 3 sessions (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) per week, total: 3 hours), on a 1: 1 allocation ratio. Participants will be followed up immediately after the post-stimulation and at 1-month and 3-month period after the intervention. A 2-week TPS intervention alongside with 3-month follow-up is sufficient enough to test the effects of TPS on improving inattention and hyperactivity .
Attention deficit, hyperactivity impulse and oppositional defiance
The Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale (SNAP IV) will be used to measure participants' attention deficit, hyperactivity impulse and oppositional defiance. SNAP IV consists of 26 items summarized into three factors: attention deficit, hyperactivity impulse, and oppositional defiance. Parents based on their general impressions on their children and rate the severity of symptoms on a Likert scale (0-3). Mean score \<1 indicate "normal" or "remission"; Mean score of 1 is defined as the demarcation for attention deficit and hyperactivity impulsivity; mean score \>2 indicated "abnormal". SNAP-IV is a reliable and valid scale used in RCTs and has good psychometric properties in the Chinese population.
Time frame: Changes in SNAP-IV scores from baseline at 3 months
Clinical global impression
CGI-S is a 7-point clinician rating scale is based upon observed and reported symptoms, behaviour, and function in the past seven days. CGI-I is a 7-point scale that requires the clinician to assess how much the patient's illness has improved or worsened relative to a baseline state at the beginning of the intervention.
Time frame: Changes in CGI from baseline at 3 months
Executive function
Stroop test is a neuropsychological test commonly used to assess the inhibition control component of executive function and test the subject's ability to inhibit cognitive interference that occurs when the processing the target stimulus feature is impeded by the simultaneous processing of a second stimulus attribute.
Time frame: Changes in Stroop test from baseline at 3 months
The ADHD Rating Scale-IV
ADHD RS-IV is a widely used ADHD scale comprising 18 items. Participant's parent rates the frequency of each symptom on the scale. Each item scores on a 4-point Likert scale of 0-3 (0: never or rarely; 1: sometimes; 2: often; 3: very often). The 9 odd items evaluate attention deficits, composing the Inattention subscale (or IA); the 9 even items evaluate Hyperactivity Impulsivity, composing the Hyperactivity Impulsivity (or HI) subscale; the total score is the sum of all the scores on the 18 items. The ADHD RS-IV is a reliable and valid scale in the Chinese population.
Time frame: Changes in ADHD RS-IV from baseline at 3 months
Neuroimaging
Participants will receive pre and post treatment MRI scan to measure any changes in structural and functional connectivity changes in the brain.
Time frame: MRI will be assessed at baseline at immediately and 2 weeks after post-stimulation
Plan to share: No
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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University