Could zapping the brain help treat anorexia?
NCT ID NCT05368844
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 04, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called TMS can help people with anorexia nervosa. The treatment targets the insula, a brain region involved in taste and body perception. Forty women aged 18-45 with anorexia will receive either real or sham TMS over 5 days to see if the procedure is feasible and acceptable.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new, non-drug treatment for anorexia nervosa that targets brain circuits involved in body perception and eating behaviors.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small study (40 people) focused on feasibility and acceptability, not on proving effectiveness. It may not lead to a reliable treatment, and individual results may vary.
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
-
10 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Jun 2022
- Finished
-
Mar 2026
- 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 45 years
- Sex
-
Female participants only
- 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 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: * Females ages 18 to 45 years * Diagnostic criteria. Current diagnosis of AN according to the DSM V, including having a severe fear of weight gain and body image distortion * Restricting or binge/purge subtype * English is primary language spoken Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects who are pregnant or think they may be pregnant will be excluded from the study. * Subjects will not have electrolyte, blood count or kidney or liver function abnormalities. Prior to starting the TMS treatment (Visit 2), all subjects will complete a basic metabolic panel (must be completed within no more than one week prior to the start of the TMS treatment) to rule out electrolyte or metabolic abnormalities. * Subjects may not have a lifetime history of a condition likely to be associated with increased intracranial pressure, space occupying brain lesion, any history of seizure except those therapeutically induced by ECT or a febrile seizure of infancy or single seizure related to a known drug related event. * Subjects may not have a history of significant head trauma with loss of consciousness for greater than 5 minutes. * Subjects may not have an intracranial implant (e.g., aneurysm clips, shunts, stimulators, cochlear implants, or electrodes) or any other metal object within or near the head, excluding the mouth, that cannot be safely removed. * Subjects may not currently take more than lorazepam 2 mg daily (or equivalent) or any dose of an anticonvulsant due to the potential to limit TMS efficacy or have a history of lack of response to accelerated course of iTBS or rTMS in the past. * Subjects may not have a concomitant major unstable medical illness, cardiac pacemaker or implanted medication pump. * Subjects may not have symptoms of alcohol or substance abuse or dependence in the past month, may not have previous or current organic brain syndromes, psychotic disorders, bipolar type disorders, somatization disorders, or conversion disorder. * Antidepressant bupropion or other seizure threshold lowering medication or are currently taking tricyclic antidepressants or neuroleptics. * Permanent eye makeup (such as eyeliner or eyebrows) or other face tattoos due to potential ferrous materials used in the tattoo ink * Subjects may not have a history of neurocardiogenic syncope as there is an increased risk of TMS-induced neurocardiogenic syncope in adolescent populations. * Subjects may not have implanted neurostimulators, intracardiac lines, or heart disease that causes moderate to severe symptoms and/or is characterized by moderate to severe pathology (including a recent history of myocardial infarction and heart failure with an ejection fraction of less than 30% or with a New York Heart Association Functional Classification of Class III or IV). * Subjects may not have a history of stroke or other brain lesions. * Subjects may not have a history of suicide attempt(s). * Subject may not have a family history of epilepsy. * Cannot refrain from drinking alcohol for the duration of the study. Subjects will be asked to refrain from consuming alcohol for the duration of the study. At the beginning of each treatment day subjects will be asked about alcohol consumption in the last 48 hours and will not complete the treatment sessions that day if they have had alcohol in the last 48 hours.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Anorexia nervosa are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of California San Diego
San Diego, California, 92121, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can the Brain's Information-Integration process explain Anorexia's grip?
- Can a pudding snack reveal how the brain misreads the stomach?
- Could the gut microbiome hold clues to eating disorder recovery?
- Can a parent support group help teens with both autism and anorexia?
- Lab-Grown brain cells could unlock Anorexia's secrets
- Can science unlock the secrets of the naturally lean?