Treating Depression With Transcutaneous Electrical Cranial-auricular Acupoint Stimulation (TECAS).

Summary

One multi-center, randomized controlled clinical trial is designed to examine whether transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation (TECAS) is non-inferior to the antidepressant drug (Escitalopram) in treating mild-to-moderate depression, to evaluate the depressive subtypes who are suitable for the TECAS treatment. To achieve this objective, 470 patients with mild-to-moderate depression will be recruited and assigned to receive TECAS treatment (n =235) or Escitalopram (n =235, 10-20mg/day, q.d.) for 8 weeks. The primary outcome is the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS); other outcomes include the17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), the Short Form 36 Health Survey and TCM diagnosis of depression. In addition, the safety index will be measured throughout the whole study.

Timeline

Start

2019-07-29

Primary completion

2021-07-02

Completion

2021-12-02

Publications

• Background Wong YK, Wu JM, Zhou G, Zhu F, Zhang Q, Yang XJ, Qin Z, Zhao N, Chen H, Zhang ZJ. Antidepressant Monotherapy and Combination Therapy with Acupuncture in Depressed Patients: A Resting-State Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) Study. Neurotherapeutics. 2021 Oct;18(4):2651-2663. doi: 10.1007/s13311-021-01098-3. Epub 2021 Aug 24.
• Background Zhang ZJ, Man SC, Yam LL, Yiu CY, Leung RC, Qin ZS, Chan KS, Lee VHF, Kwong A, Yeung WF, So WKW, Ho LM, Dong YY. Electroacupuncture trigeminal nerve stimulation plus body acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients: An assessor-participant blinded, randomized controlled trial. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Aug;88:88-96. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.035. Epub 2020 Apr 16.
• Background Zhang ZJ, Zhao H, Jin GX, Man SC, Wang YS, Wang Y, Wang HR, Li MH, Yam LL, Qin ZS, Yu KT, Wu J, Ng FB, Ziea TE, Rong PJ. Assessor- and participant-blinded, randomized controlled trial of dense cranial electroacupuncture stimulation plus body acupuncture for neuropsychiatric sequelae of stroke. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2020 Mar;74(3):183-190. doi: 10.1111/pcn.12959. Epub 2019 Dec 20.
• Background Fang J, Rong P, Hong Y, Fan Y, Liu J, Wang H, Zhang G, Chen X, Shi S, Wang L, Liu R, Hwang J, Li Z, Tao J, Wang Y, Zhu B, Kong J. Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Modulates Default Mode Network in Major Depressive Disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 2016 Feb 15;79(4):266-73. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.025. Epub 2015 Apr 2.
• Background Tu Y, Fang J, Cao J, Wang Z, Park J, Jorgenson K, Lang C, Liu J, Zhang G, Zhao Y, Zhu B, Rong P, Kong J. A distinct biomarker of continuous transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation treatment in major depressive disorder. Brain Stimul. 2018 May-Jun;11(3):501-508. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2018.01.006. Epub 2018 Jan 31.
• Yang S, Qin Z, Yang X, Chan MY, Zhang S, Rong P, Hou X, Jin G, Xu F, Liu Y, Zhang ZJ. Transcutaneous Electrical Cranial-Auricular Acupoint Stimulation vs. Escitalopram for Patients With Mild-to-Moderate Depression (TECAS): Study Design for a Randomized Controlled, Non-inferiority Trial. Front Psychiatry. 2022 May 10;13:829932. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.829932. eCollection 2022.

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