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Could rapid brain zaps sharpen thinking in Parkinson's?

NCT ID NCT07701785

Symptom relief Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jul 14, 2026 · Last updated Jul 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether a short, high-dose course of non-invasive brain stimulation called intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) can safely improve mild cognitive impairment in people with Parkinson's disease. Thirty participants will receive 30 sessions of stimulation over three days, targeting a brain region linked to attention. The goal is to see if this approach is feasible, tolerable, and promising enough for larger trials.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) delivered via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the right superior parietal lobule
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive, short-term treatment for cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early feasibility study with only 30 participants and no control group, so results may not be conclusive or generalizable. The treatment may cause temporary side effects like headache or scalp irritation.

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 30 people

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

Expected to start

Aug 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Apr 2028

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

50 to 85 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

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: * 50-85 years of age * Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease based on UK Brain Bank diagnostic criteria * Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) diagnosis per Movement Disorders Society Task Force Level II Diagnostic Criteria4 (i.e., scores ≥1.5 standard deviations below appropriate norms on 2 neuropsychological tests) as determined by a clinical neuropsychologist * Stable on Parkinson's disease medications for 30 days (not expected to change through the course of the treatment) * Has a caregiver willing and able to reliably complete a questionnaire focused on the participant's daily functioning Exclusion Criteria: * Claustrophobia or inability to lie supine in the scanner for an extended period of time * Barriers to making contact between the TMS coil and the skin (e.g. braids that cannot be removed) * Contraindications to MRI/TMS safety screening: This includes but is not limited to implanted medical devices (e.g., pacemakers), metallic objects or fragments, non-removable hair clips or piercings, and medications that reduce seizure threshold. * Individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and/or active substance abuse disorder. * History of significant or unstable condition/s or treatments for these condition/s that may impact cognition (as determined by the study investigators) such as significant cardiac (e.g. heart failure), infectious (e.g. HIV, urinary tract infection), or metabolic disease (e.g. labile diabetes), cancer (e.g. brain cancer, chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment), developmental disorder (e.g. autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability), or other neurologic disease (e.g. multiple sclerosis, moderate to severe brain injury, seizures). * History of a seizure disorder.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Cognitive Dysfunction Parkinson disease

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Mild cognitive impairment Parkinson disease

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

    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.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Medical University of South Carolina

    RECRUITING

    Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States

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