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Can magnetic pulses to the brain boost PTSD therapy?

NCT ID NCT03932773

Disease control Sponsor: The University of Texas at Dallas 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether adding repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) helps veterans with combat-related PTSD more than CPT alone. About 330 post-9/11 veterans with a PTSD diagnosis will receive either active or sham rTMS alongside CPT over 12 weeks. Researchers will track changes in PTSD symptoms, depression, and brain activity for up to 6 months after treatment to see if the combination offers lasting benefits.

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) combined with Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
What this could lead to
If effective, this combination could offer a new, non-drug treatment option for veterans with combat-related PTSD, potentially reducing symptoms and improving daily functioning.
What could go wrong
The trial is still in progress, and results may not show a clear benefit over standard therapy. rTMS can cause side effects like headache or discomfort, and not all veterans may respond.

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 330 people

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

Started

May 2019

Expected to finish

Jan 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

18 to 60 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: * Veterans of Post-9/11 military conflicts * with diagnosis of PTSD based on CAPS-5 related to Post-9/11 military combat Exclusion Criteria: * current enrollment in an acute experimental treatment for PTSD or trauma-focused psychotherapy treatment * PTSD-inducing trauma exposure occurring within the last 3 months prior to pre-enrollment evaluation * history of epilepsy or seizure disorder, a history of major head trauma, * any neurologic condition likely to increase risk of seizures, * brain tumors, * moderate to severe substance use disorder in last 3 months or any substance use that puts the participant at increased risk or significant impairment * stroke, and blood vessel abnormalities in the brain, * dementia, * Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, or multiple sclerosis * a high suicide risk * a lifetime history of psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder * inability to stop taking any medication that significantly lowers the seizure threshold * pregnant or nursing * metal fragments in the head, or any metal objects in or near the head that cannot be safely removed * We will screen for a history of traumatic brain injury and exclude potential participants from the study if they have a history of severe TBI or are at high risk for seizures. * history of seizures * non-English speakers because not all of the screening forms, questionnaires, and tests are available in any language except for English * cardiac pacemaker, implanted medication pumps of any sort that would increase the risk of rTMS * any current medical condition that could preclude being able to safely participate in TMS treatment, * use of prescription medication or illegal substances that lower the seizure threshold * previous rTMS

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

post-traumatic stress disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Post-traumatic stress disorder

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    3 sites. 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

  • Florida State University College of Medicine

    RECRUITING

    Tallahassee, Florida, 32308, United States

  • Metrocare Services of Dallas

    RECRUITING

    Addison, Texas, 75001, United States

  • The University of Texas at Dallas

    RECRUITING

    Dallas, Texas, 75235, United States

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