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Magnetic pulses to the brain may offer rapid relief from prolonged grief

NCT ID NCT06953596

Symptom relief Sponsor: Bruyère Health Research Institute. 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 10, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026

Summary

This trial tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can safely and feasibly treat prolonged grief disorder. Fifteen bereaved adults with high grief scores will receive eight sessions of rTMS daily for five days, targeting a brain region linked to mood. The goal is to see if this approach is tolerable and promising enough to study further as a faster alternative to therapy or medication.

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)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a fast, non-drug treatment for prolonged grief disorder, a condition that currently has limited options.
What could go wrong
This is a very early, small study with only 15 people and no placebo group, so results may not apply broadly. The treatment is experimental for this condition.

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 15 people

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

Started

Nov 2025

Expected to finish

Sep 2027

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 years and older

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: 1. Bereaved individuals \>/= 18 years of age 2. Score \>25 on the Inventory of Complicated Grief 3. Must have a primary care physician 4. Ability to understand and communicate in English 5. Ability to provide first-person informed consent Exclusion Criteria: 1. Current or previously diagnosed seizure disorder 2. Documented brain lesions 3. Contraindications to TMS (i.e., metallic skull plates, clips, stimulators, pacemakers) 4. Current substance abuse disorder (e.g., schizophrenia) 5. Pregnancy or lactation, or trying to conceive 6. Advanced, incurable illness with an expected prognosis of \<3 months - bereaved family members are known to be at elevated risk of death from medical illness, but if death is expected in the near future, it would be difficult to justify using an entire week of their limited time for an unproven therapy.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Prolonged Grief Disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Complicated grief Prolonged grief disorder

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

  • Bruyere Health

    RECRUITING

    Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 7A5, Canada

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