Brain zapping study seeks to unlock secrets of mental performance
NCT ID NCT07565207
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 06, 2026 · Updated 4 times
Summary
This study tests whether a type of magnetic brain stimulation called aiTBS can change brain wave patterns and improve performance on thinking tasks. About 80 healthy adults will receive stimulation over three days while their brain activity is recorded with EEG. The goal is to understand how the brain adapts, not to treat any disease.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- aiTBS (accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation) delivered via a magnetic stimulator
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help researchers understand how to temporarily boost brain function, potentially guiding future therapies for conditions like depression or memory loss.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early, small study in healthy volunteers, not a treatment trial. The effects may be subtle or not translate to real-world benefits.
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
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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
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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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May 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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 or ambidextrous Exclusion Criteria: * Non-english speaking * Current or past non-anxiety-related psychiatric comorbidity. * 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 * Increased risk of seizure for any reason * Pregnancy, or positive pregnancy test * Any medical (e.g., stroke, breathing problems, motion disorders) or neurological (e.g., a significant brain injury or brain infection history that increases seizure risk) condition that increases risk for fMRI or TMS (Protocol will follow recommendations from Rossi et al. 2021 doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2020.10.003) * Any metal in their body which would make having an MRI scan unsafe * Any sort of medical implants * Hearing loss * Claustrophobia * orthostatic hypotension
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.