Actively Recruiting
TMS for Exposure Therapy Resistant OCD
Led by Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc · Updated on 2026-03-04
250
Participants Needed
8
Research Sites
289 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
A
Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc
Lead Sponsor
G
GGZ inGeest
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
TETRO is a multi-center placebo-controlled double-blind randomized controlled trial with an intervention phase of 5-7 weeks and a follow-up phase of 12 months in 250 adult (18 years and older) OCD patients who show no/insufficient response to ERP, aiming to establish the cost-effectiveness of low frequency (1 Hz) rTMS to the pre-SMA (compared to sham rTMS to the pre-SMA) as adjuvant treatment to exposure with response prevention (ERP). The treatment consists of 4 times/week rTMS combined with ERP for at least 5 weeks (20 sessions), with optional extension phase of 1 or 2 weeks (maximum of 28 sessions in total).
CONDITIONS
Official Title
TMS for Exposure Therapy Resistant OCD
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- OCD as current primary diagnosis
- Age 18 and older
- Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) score of 16 or higher
- Insufficient response to exposure therapy with response prevention (ERP) or drop-out from ERP due to extreme anxiety or avoidance
- Allowed comorbid disorders if OCD is the main diagnosis: depression, other anxiety disorders, ADHD, tic/Tourette's disorder, eating disorders, personality disorders, autism spectrum disorder (not dominant)
- Commitment to actively participate in intensive exposure therapy sessions and at home
- Unmedicated for at least 8 weeks or stable dosage of psychotropic medication for at least 8 weeks (including specific allowed medications)
- Ability to attend frequent treatment sessions 4 days/week for 5 to 7 weeks at one of 5 nearby sites
- Ability to participate in pre-treatment MRI session at one of 3 academic sites
- Capacity to provide informed consent
You will not qualify if you...
- OCD patients with hoarding as main symptom
- Current diagnosis of psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder if dominant, or substance use disorder
- Active suicidal thoughts with intent
- Chronic benzodiazepine use
- Cochlear implant
- History of epilepsy
- Pregnancy
- Extreme claustrophobia or metallic objects preventing MRI participation
- Space-occupying lesion found on MRI
- Previous rTMS treatment
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 8 locations
1
Amsterdam UMC, location VU Medical Center
Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands, 1081 HZ
Actively Recruiting
2
GGZ inGeest
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Actively Recruiting
3
Neurocare
Eindhoven, Netherlands
Not Yet Recruiting
4
Neurocare
Groningen, Netherlands
Not Yet Recruiting
5
Maastricht UMC+
Maastricht, Netherlands
Not Yet Recruiting
6
Mondriaan
Maastricht, Netherlands
Not Yet Recruiting
7
ProPersona
Nijmegen, Netherlands
Not Yet Recruiting
8
Radboudumc
Nijmegen, Netherlands
Not Yet Recruiting
Research Team
O
Odile A van den Heuvel, MD PhD
CONTACT
T
Tjardo S Postma, MD
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
2
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