Can a targeted electric field reach deep brain to quiet schizophrenia symptoms?
NCT ID NCT07773831
First seen Aug 19, 2026 · Last updated Aug 20, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a noninvasive technique called temporal interference stimulation can ease symptoms in people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The approach uses two high-frequency electrical currents to create a low-frequency effect deep in the brain, targeting a region linked to the condition. Twenty participants will receive five days of stimulation sessions while continuing their usual antipsychotic medication. Researchers will measure changes in symptoms, thinking, and daily functioning, and use MRI scans to look for brain changes.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Temporal interference stimulation, a noninvasive brain stimulation technique using two high-frequency electrical currents to target deep brain regions
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, noninvasive way to ease symptoms for people with schizophrenia who haven't responded to standard medications.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early exploratory study, so results may not be conclusive or apply broadly. The stimulation is intense (multiple sessions daily) and could cause discomfort or other side effects.
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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 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Aug 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
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 65 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. Right-handed male or female participants aged 18 to 65 years, inclusive. 2. Diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), established by a psychiatrist at the attending-physician level or above and confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, version 7.0.2 (MINI 7.0.2). 3. Inadequate response to sequential treatment with at least two antipsychotic medications of different chemical classes, each administered at an adequate dose (≥600 mg/day chlorpromazine equivalents) for an adequate duration (≥6 consecutive weeks at a therapeutic dose). 4. Stable dose of antipsychotic medication for at least 4 weeks before enrollment. 5. A score of 4 (moderate) or higher on at least two of the following Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) items: delusions, hallucinatory behavior, suspiciousness/persecution, or unusual thought content. 6. Ability to understand the study procedures, willingness to participate voluntarily and comply with the study procedures, and provision of written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Current diagnosis of another major psychiatric disorder other than schizophrenia that, in the investigator's judgment, may confound the diagnosis of schizophrenia or interfere with the assessment of treatment efficacy or safety. 2. Receipt of other neuromodulation treatments, including modified electroconvulsive therapy (MECT), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), within the previous 3 months, or previous participation in an interventional clinical trial involving vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) or deep brain stimulation (DBS). 3. A score ≥3 on Item 3 (suicide) of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), or a score \>3 on any of the following PANSS items: P4 Excitement, G14 Poor Impulse Control, P7 Hostility, or G8 Uncooperativeness. 4. Contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including intracranial metallic implants, implanted cardiac pacemakers, or cochlear implants. 5. Skull defects or fissures, or inability to tolerate stimulation-related adverse effects. 6. Treatment-resistant epilepsy or other serious medical conditions that, in the investigator's judgment, may potentially affect treatment or participation in the study. 7. Pregnancy. 8. Any other condition that, in the investigator's judgment, makes the participant unsuitable for participation in the study.
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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 official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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.
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