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Brain zap study aims to map mental health treatments

NCT ID NCT05322239

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Nicholas Balderston, PhD Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study uses a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called theta burst stimulation to see how it changes the way different parts of the brain communicate. Researchers will measure brain activity in 200 healthy, right-handed adults before and after stimulation. The goal is to build a model that could one day help personalize brain stimulation treatments for mental illness.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Theta burst stimulation (a type of transcranial magnetic stimulation using magnetic pulses)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could help doctors predict which brain stimulation treatments work best for mental health conditions like depression.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage study in healthy volunteers, not patients. It measures brain activity, not symptoms, so it may not directly lead to new treatments.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 200 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Nov 2022

Expected to finish

Aug 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 60 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria * Able to give their consent * Right-handed Exclusion Criteria * Non-english speaking * Any significant medical problems * Current or past Axis I psychiatric disorder(s), * Active or history of active suicidal ideation * Alcohol/drug problems in the past year or lifetime alcohol or drug dependence * Medications that act on the central nervous system * History of seizure * History of epilepsy or other neurological problems * Increased risk of seizure for any reason * Pregnancy * Any medical condition that increases risk for fMRI or TMS * Any metal in their body which would make having an MRI scan unsafe * Any sort of medical implants * Claustrophobia

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Brain connectivity

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Pennsylvania

    RECRUITING

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

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