Clinical trial Recruiting at 1 site Interventional Ages 18 to 85

Safety and feasibility of a next-generation dome helmet for neuromodulation in OCD

Official title: Assessment of Safety and Feasibility of FUS Next Generation Dome Helmet (NGDH) to Perform Neuromodulation in Patients With Treatment Refractory Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Run by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre · NCT07704632 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This study tests whether a new focused ultrasound helmet can safely help people with treatment-refractory OCD see if their symptoms improve.

More Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder trials

Quick facts

Study typeInterventional
Ages18 Years to 85 Years
SexAll
Enrollment20 (estimated)
SponsorSunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Academic / other
Locations1 site (Toronto, Ontario)
StatusRecruiting
StartedSeptember 23, 2025
Main results expectedSeptember 2027
Study endsSeptember 2027
Registry record updatedJuly 15, 2026
Trial IDNCT07704632 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Adults aged 18–85 with DSM-5 OCD, a Y-BOCS total score >22, stable psychiatric medications for at least 30 days, and prior exposure to at least two antidepressants and CBT/psychotherapy.

Probably not a fit

Patients who do not experience symptom reduction or who experience intolerable adverse events may not receive benefit from this intervention.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This is a prospective, single-arm study evaluating the safety and tolerability of transcranial focused ultrasound delivered with the Next Generation Dome Helmet (NGDH) in adults with OCD that has not responded to standard treatments. Participants receive two treatment sessions four weeks apart, with stimulation targeting key nodes of the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit. Outcomes include adverse events, OCD symptom severity, and quality of life to explore preliminary efficacy and feasibility. The study enrolls up to 20 participants at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could offer a noninvasive option for reducing OCD symptoms in people who have not benefited from existing therapies.

How similar studies have gone: Prior focused ultrasound neuromodulation approaches have shown safety signals in related brain-targeted therapies, but this specific NGDH approach in OCD is exploratory.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Must be deemed to have the capacity to provide informed consent.
2. Age 18 to 85 years.
3. Diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder according to DSM-5 criteria.
4. Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale total score greater than 22.
5. If taking psychiatric medications, must be on a stable regimen for at least 30 days before enrollment. Psychiatric medications will be continued throughout the study.
6. Previous trial of at least two first-line antidepressant agents at an adequate dose and duration, as assessed by two psychiatrists.
7. Previous trial of cognitive behavioural therapy or psychotherapy for OCD for at least 6 weeks.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnant or intending to become pregnant during the study.
2. Substance use disorder, other than cannabis or nicotine use disorder, of moderate severity or greater, or where the substance is the primary substance of concern, according to DSM-5 criteria.
3. Known active seizure disorder or significant head injury with an imaging-confirmed lesion.
4. Unstable medical illness.
5. Not eligible for 3-Tesla MRI, such as due to an MRI-incompatible pacemaker or other implanted device.
6. Unable to reliably attend the required screening, treatment, and follow-up visits.
7. Severe claustrophobia that would prevent MRI scanning.
8. History of a bleeding disorder or coagulopathy.
9. Anticoagulant therapy or use of medications known to increase the risk of hemorrhage within the required washout period before treatment, including:

   * Antiplatelet agents or vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants within 7 days of treatment
   * Non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants within 72 hours of treatment
   * Heparin-derived compounds within 48 hours of treatment

Where it's running

  • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Recruiting

Study contacts

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

  • Emotion-Focused ACT for OCD in Group Therapy

    In adults with OCD, researchers will test whether Emotion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) delivered in a group setting helps reduce OCD symptoms compared with a supportive group.

    Recruiting Goztepe Prof Dr Suleyman Yalcın City Hospital · Istanbul, Istanbul · NCT07622654

  • Accelerated personalized rTMS for treatment‑resistant obsessive‑compulsive disorder

    This study will try a fast, personalized course of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the right inferior frontal cortex to see if it reduces symptoms in adults with treatment‑resistant OCD.

    Recruiting Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Tongji University · Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality · NCT07198594

  • Team-delivered exposure-based CBT for children and teens with anxiety and OCD

    This test tries three ways of delivering team-based exposure-focused CBT—in-person, by telehealth, or a flexible mix—to see which works best for kids and teens (ages 5–18) with anxiety or OCD.

    Recruiting Bradley Hospital · East Providence, Rhode Island · NCT06934525

  • Combining neurostimulation with emotion regulation training for emotional issues

    This study is testing if combining brain stimulation with training on how to manage emotions can help people with emotional issues feel better.

    Recruiting Duke University · Durham, North Carolina · NCT05712057

  • Low-intensity focused ultrasound targeting the subthalamic nucleus for OCD

    A short test is being done to see if a wearable, non-invasive ultrasound device can safely and tolerably help adults with OCD by targeting a brain region called the subthalamic nucleus.

    Recruiting Phase 2 University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · NCT07887633

  • Focused ultrasound for mood and anxiety disorders

    This study tests whether repeated low-intensity focused ultrasound using the ATTN201 device can help people with subsyndromal to moderate depression, anxiety, or OCD.

    Recruiting Attune Neurosciences Inc · San Francisco, California and 1 other locations · NCT07851038

How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.