Recruiting

Observational Study

Sponsor:

Massachusetts General Hospital

Code:

NCT05366270

Conditions

Hyperthermia

Major Depressive Disorder

Inflammation

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 65

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

WBH

Sham

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this study is to examine how whole-body hyperthermia affects the thermoinflammatory profile, which includes the combined immune and heat shock response, in patients with depression and whether these changes correlate with decreased depression in individuals with Major Depressive Disorder.

Conditions

Hyperthermia

Major Depressive Disorder

Inflammation

Study ID

NCT05366270

Start date

Nov 1, 2022

Status verified date

Mar, 2023

Completion date

Jun, 2024

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun, 2024

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 65

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Females and Males ages 18-65
2. English language proficiency
3. Ability to provide informed consent
4. Have a current primary psychiatric diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) of at least 4 weeks duration, as defined by Diagnostic \& Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-5) criteria using the MINI.
5. Score of ≥ 24 on the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology - Clinician Rated (IDS-CR)
6. Individuals of childbearing potential must use an acceptable form of birth control.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnancy or planned pregnancy during study
2. Current breastfeeding
3. History of psychiatric hospitalization within the past year
4. Active suicidal intent ("yes" on item 4 or 5 on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale)
5. History of bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, eating disorders, and/or substance abuse or dependence (within the last year), as per the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI)
6. Meeting DSM-5 criteria at screening for current obsessive compulsive disorder
7. A ≥25% drop in IDS-CR score from screen (V1) to baseline (V1b)
8. Positive urine toxicology screen due to illicit drug use or other exclusionary medications. (Potential false positives will be addressed on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the investigator)
9. Serious unstable medical condition including cardiovascular, neurological, neoplastic, autoimmune, infectious or endocrine.
10. Morbid obesity (BMI > 40) and/or body shape that might increase the risk of cutaneous burning from the Heckel hyperthermia device (because of truncal skin being too close to the infrared lights).
11. Any history of or current diagnosis of thrombosis or thrombophilia; if it is unclear whether a subject has received this diagnosis, a signed release will be obtained to contact the subject's treating physician and obtain accurate diagnostic information. Depending on the recommendation of the treating physician, the subject may undergo appropriate testing with the treating physician to verify the diagnosis, and if the tests produce negative findings, the subject may be allowed to enter the study
12. Has a history of or an increased risk for gastrointestinal perforation such as a history of diverticulitis, stomach or intestinal ulcers or abdominal pain that does not go away
13. Using medication that might impact thermoregulatory capacity within 3 days of receiving WBH treatment, including: diuretics, barbiturates, beta-blockers, antipsychotic agents, anti-cholinergic agents or chronic use of antihistamines, aspirin (other than low-dose for prophylactic purposes), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), systemic corticosteroids, or cytokine antagonists.
14. Use of any medication that could interact in such a way as to potentiate the sedative effect of lorazepam or ondansetron, or otherwise deemed unsafe per physician judgment.
15. Fever (Temp > 99) of unknown origin at the time of screen
16. Breast Implants
17. Unsafe cardiac status as defined by abnormal ECG reading at screening visit as determined by medical monitor, study doctor, or subject's primary care physician or cardiologist
18. Claustrophobia of sufficient severity to interfere with ability to enter/remain in Heckel device
19. A subject who in the opinion of the Principal Investigator would not be able to safely complete the study or would jeopardize study integrity

Study Design

Enrollment

60 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Whole Body Hyperthermia (WBH)

A single treatment of Whole Body Hyperthermia will be administered using the Heckel Hyperthermia device. During this procedure, participants' core body temperature will be elevated to 38.5 degrees Celsius.

sham comparator: Sham

Under the sham condition, participants will enter the Heckel Hyperthermia device as in the active treatment condition, but will not receive the whole body hyperthermia treatment, and will instead only receive mild heating.

Interventions

WBH

Hyperthermia exposure using Heckel Hyperthermia Device

Sham

Sham (mild heating) using Heckel Hyperthermia Device

Primary outcome measure

  • Changes in serum levels of Interleukin-6 from baseline to post-treatment [ Time Frame: baseline (pre-intervention), one hour post-intervention, 24 hours post-intervention, one week post-intervention ]
  • Decreases in depressive severity, as measured by the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Clinician-Rated (IDS-CR) [ Time Frame: baseline (pre-intervention), one week post-intervention, two weeks post-intervention, four weeks post-intervention ]
  • Decreases in depressive severity, as measured by the Symptoms of Depression Questionnaire (SDQ) [ Time Frame: baseline (pre-intervention), 24 hours post-intervention, one week post-intervention, two weeks post-intervention, four weeks post-intervention ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

Massachusetts General Hospital Depression Clinical & Research Program

Recruiting

Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Simmie Foster, MD, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Last update posted

Mar 10, 2023

Last verified

Mar, 2023

Keywords

  • Depression
  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Inflammation
  • Hyperthermia
  • Mood Disorders

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Massachusetts General Hospital on 2023-03-10.