Brain zaps and video games: a new combo to repair schizophrenia's wiring
NCT ID NCT06961916
First seen Jul 07, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether combining a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called rTMS with computer-based cognitive training can strengthen brain connections in people with schizophrenia. Participants will receive up to 10 sessions over two weeks, and researchers will use brain scans to measure changes in white matter and connectivity. The goal is to see if this approach can improve how different brain regions communicate.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and cognitive training
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this approach could point toward a non-drug way to improve brain function and daily life for people with schizophrenia.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study focused on brain imaging changes, not yet on real-world benefits. The effects may be small or not last, and rTMS can cause discomfort or headache.
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 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2025
- Expected to finish
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May 2029
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 60 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 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: 1. Male and female ages between ages 18-60 years 2. Ability to give written informed consent (age 18 or above) 3. Diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and Evaluation to Sign Consent (ESC) above 10. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Inability to sign informed consent. 2. Any history of seizures. 3. Any acute and unstable major medical illnesses that may affect normal brain functioning. Examples of these conditions include, but not limited to, recent stroke, seizure, history of significant head trauma, CNS infection or tumor, other significant brain neurological conditions (As this is a study of medical comorbidity, most medical conditions, once stable, are not exclusion criteria). 4. Taking \> 400 mg clozapine/day and not on anti-seizure medication(s) with sufficient dose. 5. Failed TMS screening questionnaire. 6. Significant alcohol or other drug use (substance abuse within 1 month or substance dependence history within 6 months and having substance usage within 1 month) other than nicotine or marijuana dependence. 7. A history of thrombosis, family history of thrombosis, or medical conditions that may lead to a hypercoagulable state (increased chance to develop blood clots) 8. Woman who is pregnant (child-bearing potential but not on contraceptive and missing menstrual period; or by self-report; or by positive urine pregnancy test). 9. History of head injury with loss of consciousness over 10 minutes; history of brain surgery 10. Cannot refrain from using alcohol and/or marijuana 24 hours or more prior to experiments. 11. Students and employees currently involved with our lab (lab employees and personnel will be excluded from the study to avoid possible coercion or possible appearance of coercion, or chance of breach of privacy and confidentiality). 12. For MRI, unable to undergo MRI scanning due to metallic devices or objects (cardiac pacemaker or neurostimulator, some artificial joints, metal pins, surgical clips, or other implanted metal parts) or claustrophobic to the scanner.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
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 places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
RECRUITINGHouston, Texas, 77054, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can antipsychotics rewire the Brain's dopamine system? a scan study investigates
- Can a nasal insulin spray rev up brain energy and sharpen thinking in psychosis?
- Can talk therapy and social coaching ease early psychosis?
- Can a magnetic pulse to the brain curb Drug-Related weight gain?
- Can virtual reality from home sharpen social skills in schizophrenia?