Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Two brain scanners, one stimulation session: can they agree?

NCT ID NCT06902571

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers want to know whether two brain imaging techniques, fMRI and fNIRS, detect the same blood flow changes when a person receives theta burst stimulation to the left prefrontal cortex. Theta burst stimulation is a non-invasive brain stimulation method used in depression treatment, but scientists do not fully understand the immediate blood flow response it triggers. This study enrolls 13 healthy adults and runs both scanners at the same time during stimulation, aiming to build a reliable method for comparing the two techniques.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
What this could lead to
If the two imaging methods agree, researchers could use the cheaper, portable fNIRS technique to track brain stimulation effects in future depression studies without repeated MRI scans.
What could go wrong
This is a tiny study of 13 healthy adults, so the results may not apply to patients with depression or to other brain regions. Combining three sensitive devices at once can also produce technical noise that muddies the signals.

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.

Participants

13 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Apr 2025

Finished

Dec 2025

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.

Who is studied

Healthy adults.

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: * healthiness based on history and psychiatric assessment Exclusion Criteria: * a medical history of a major systemic illness or a neurological or psychiatric disorder * pregnancy * common fNIRS, MRI and TMS exclusion criteria such as a history of brain surgery, head injury, cardiac pacemaker, intracranial metallic particles or a history of seizures

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Healthy adults are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Healthy adults

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    Hong Kong, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.