Brain zaps tailored to you: new hope for stubborn depression?

NCT ID NCT05144789

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study tested a personalized brain stimulation technique called accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (aiTBS) in 79 people with treatment-resistant depression. The goal was to see if targeting specific brain areas could ease symptoms like loss of pleasure (anhedonia). Participants received either active stimulation or a sham procedure, and their depression levels were measured before and after treatment.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine

    Stanford, California, 94305, United States

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 (aiTBS) using a transcranial magnetic stimulation device

What this could lead to

If successful, this could point toward a new, personalized brain stimulation treatment for people with hard-to-treat depression who don't respond to standard therapies.

What could go wrong

This is a small, early-stage study with only 79 participants. The results may not apply to everyone with depression, and the effects might not last long-term.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

bipolar II disorder Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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