SONATA Dose Duration LIFU for OCD

NCT07887633 — Phase 2, Recruiting, 20 participants, University of Pennsylvania

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Subcortical OCD Neuromodulation With Acoustic Therapy - Dose Duration Optimization

RegistryNCT07887633
StatusRecruiting
PhasePhase 2
Study typeInterventional; randomized, parallel, masking: double, device feasibility
Enrollment20 (Estimated)
SponsorUniversity of Pennsylvania (Other)
ConditionsObsessive - Compulsive Disorder
InterventionsATTN201 - Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound (Device)
Datesstart 2026-09-15, primary completion 2028-06-15 (estimated), completion 2028-09-15 (estimated), first posted 2026-10-21, last updated 2026-10-21
Locations1 site in United States

Related Papers Related Patents Related Grants Related Experts
All trials for Obsessive - Compulsive Disorder All trials of ATTN201 - Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound

-Summary

This study is testing a new, non-invasive brain stimulation approach for adults with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Researchers are evaluating the safety, tolerability, and target engagement of low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) directed at a brain region called the subthalamic nucleus (STN). The ultrasound is delivered using a wearable device called ATTN201 (developed by Attune Neurosciences).

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+Detailed description

Twenty participants will take part in this randomized, sham-controlled trial. This means participants will be randomly assigned to receive either active LIFU or a sham (inactive) version of the treatment, and all participants will not know which one was given until the end of participation.

Participants will be seen multiple times a week for LIFU sessions, with a safety check completed halfway through the number of sessions. All participants will undergo MRI brain scans at the start of the study and at three follow-up checkpoints to help researchers understand how the treatment affects the brain.

+Arms and interventions

ArmTypeInterventionsDescription
Active StimulationExperimentalDevice: ATTN201 - Low Intensity Focused UltrasoundParticipants receive low intensity focused ultrasound stimulation
Sham StimulationSham comparatorDevice: ATTN201 - Low Intensity Focused UltrasoundParticipants received unfocused ultrasound, which mimic the auditory and peripheral sensations of active stimulation without delivering meaningful pressure to the brain target
  • ATTN201 - Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound (Device): Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) will be administered using the Attune ATTN201 device. The intervention is targeted bilaterally to the Sub-thalamic Nucleus (STN) region of the brain. All participants receive 4 sessions in their assigned condition (active LIFU or Sham) and, if patient-level stopping criteria are not met, continue in that same assigned condition to a total of 8 sessions, twice weekly over approximately 4 weeks.

+Outcome measures

Primary outcomes

  • Participant Report of Symptoms [4 weeks]: The 22-item Participant Report of Symptoms questionnaire provides granular, visit-level characterization of tolerability and symptomatic response across the treatment course, complementing the primary tolerability endpoints.
  • Visual Analog Scale [4 weeks]: The Visual Analog Scale, which assesses on a scale from 0-10 the participants obsessions, compulsions, distress, depression, energy and anxiety. This survey provides granular, visit-level characterization of tolerability and symptomatic response across the treatment course, complementing the primary tolerability endpoints.
  • Beck Depression Inventory [4 weeks]: The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II)allows for monitoring of unintended effects on mood, given that the STN plays a role in emotional processing and provide a broader characterization of the clinical impact of treatment. The BDI-II is an assessment used to measure severity of depression
  • Becks Anxiety Inventory [4 weeks]: The Becks Anxiety Inventory (BAI) allows for monitoring of unintended effects on anxiety, given that the STN plays a role in emotional processing and provide a broader characterization of the clinical impact of treatment. The BAI is an assessment used to measure clinical anxiety.
  • Clinical Global Impression Scale [4 weeks.]: The Clinical Global Impression scale asks two questions; the severity of illness and the change in illness. This scale allows a clinician completed score to monitor unintended effects on mood and anxiety. The Clinical Global Impressions - Improvement (CGI-I) scale is used to measure how much a patient's illness has improved or worsened. The Clinical Global Impressions - Severity (CGI-S) is used to measure how severe the patient's illness is.

+Eligibility

Sex: All, ages: 22 Years to 80 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 22-80
2. Meet DSM-V criteria for OCD ≥ 1 year with a Y-BOCS score ≥ 16
3. Must be on the same stable dose(s) of OCD medication for at least 4 weeks prior to screening and throughout the course of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Co-morbid psychiatric disorder other than depression or anxiety disorder
2. Active suicidal risk (defined by C-SSRS)
3. History of neurological condition
4. Pregnant or breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant during the study period

+Locations (1)

FacilityCityCountryStatus
University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaUnited StatesRecruiting

+Publications

  • Gaur P, Casey KM, Kubanek J, Li N, Mohammadjavadi M, Saenz Y, Glover GH, Bouley DM, Pauly KB. Histologic safety of transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation and magnetic resonance acoustic radiation force imaging in rhesus macaques and sheep. Brain Stimul. 2020 May-Jun;13(3):804-814. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2020.02.017. Epub 2020 Feb 21. PMID 32289711
  • Pallanti S, Quercioli L. Treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder: methodological issues, operational definitions and therapeutic lines. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2006 May;30(3):400-12. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2005.11.028. Epub 2006 Feb 28. PMID 16503369
  • Aubry JF, Attali D, Schafer ME, Fouragnan E, Caskey CF, Chen R, Darmani G, Bubrick EJ, Sallet J, Butler CR, Stagg CJ, Klein-Flugge MC, Yoo SS, Holland C, Treeby B, Martin E, Verhagen L, Pauly KB. ITRUSST Consensus on Biophysical Safety for Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation. ArXiv [Preprint]. 2025 Oct 9:arXiv:2311.05359v3. PMID 41281204
  • Darmani G, Bergmann TO, Butts Pauly K, Caskey CF, de Lecea L, Fomenko A, Fouragnan E, Legon W, Murphy KR, Nandi T, Phipps MA, Pinton G, Ramezanpour H, Sallet J, Yaakub SN, Yoo SS, Chen R. Non-invasive transcranial ultrasound stimulation for neuromodulation. Clin Neurophysiol. 2022 Mar;135:51-73. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2021.12.010. Epub 2021 Dec 31. PMID 35033772
  • Stern JM, Spivak NM, Becerra SA, Kuhn TP, Korb AS, Kronemyer D, Khanlou N, Reyes SD, Monti MM, Schnakers C, Walshaw P, Keselman I, Cohen MS, Yong W, Fried I, Jordan SE, Schafer ME, Engel J Jr, Bystritsky A. Safety of focused ultrasound neuromodulation in humans with temporal lobe epilepsy. Brain Stimul. 2021 Jul-Aug;14(4):1022-1031. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2021.06.003. Epub 2021 Jun 23. PMID 34198105
  • Kim H, Chiu A, Lee SD, Fischer K, Yoo SS. Focused ultrasound-mediated non-invasive brain stimulation: examination of sonication parameters. Brain Stimul. 2014 Sep-Oct;7(5):748-56. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2014.06.011. Epub 2014 Jul 2. PMID 25088462
  • Pasquinelli C, Hanson LG, Siebner HR, Lee HJ, Thielscher A. Safety of transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation: A systematic review of the state of knowledge from both human and animal studies. Brain Stimul. 2019 Nov-Dec;12(6):1367-1380. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2019.07.024. Epub 2019 Jul 31. PMID 31401074
  • Yoon K, Lee W, Lee JE, Xu L, Croce P, Foley L, Yoo SS. Effects of sonication parameters on transcranial focused ultrasound brain stimulation in an ovine model. PLoS One. 2019 Oct 24;14(10):e0224311. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224311. eCollection 2019. PMID 31648261
  • Caulfield KA, Sege CT, Weaver J, Murphy KR, Passaro T, Meads K, Dadgar-Kiani E, Antonucci MU, Good C, McTeague LM. Focused ultrasound to bilateral thalamic nuclei significantly improves human cognitive attention in a frequency- and intensity-dependent manner. Brain Stimul. 2026 Sep-Oct;19(5):103171. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2026.103171. Epub 2026 Jul 21. PMID 42480914
  • Mallet L, Polosan M, Jaafari N, Baup N, Welter ML, Fontaine D, du Montcel ST, Yelnik J, Chereau I, Arbus C, Raoul S, Aouizerate B, Damier P, Chabardes S, Czernecki V, Ardouin C, Krebs MO, Bardinet E, Chaynes P, Burbaud P, Cornu P, Derost P, Bougerol T, Bataille B, Mattei V, Dormont D, Devaux B, Verin M, Houeto JL, Pollak P, Benabid AL, Agid Y, Krack P, Millet B, Pelissolo A; STOC Study Group. Subthalamic nucleus stimulation in severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. N Engl J Med. 2008 Nov 13;359(20):2121-34. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0708514. PMID 19005196
  • Alonso P, Cuadras D, Gabriels L, Denys D, Goodman W, Greenberg BD, Jimenez-Ponce F, Kuhn J, Lenartz D, Mallet L, Nuttin B, Real E, Segalas C, Schuurman R, du Montcel ST, Menchon JM. Deep Brain Stimulation for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Treatment Outcome and Predictors of Response. PLoS One. 2015 Jul 24;10(7):e0133591. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133591. eCollection 2015. PMID 26208305

+Investigators