Magnetic pulses aimed at Brain's value center could rewrite chronic pain

NCT ID NCT07798908

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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

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Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 02, 2026 · Last updated Sep 04, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This pilot study tests whether transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a noninvasive technique that uses magnetic pulses to influence brain activity, can reduce chronic neuropathic pain. Researchers target a brain network involved in assigning value to experiences, based on each person's individual brain connections. Nine adults with peripheral or central neuropathic pain will receive real or sham stimulation over three-day blocks. The main goal is to see if the procedure is feasible and well tolerated, with a secondary look at whether it changes pain ratings.

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) delivered to a brain region connected to the medial orbitofrontal cortex, compared with sham stimulation
What this could lead to
If this works, it could point toward a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment for chronic neuropathic pain that does not rely on medication.
What could go wrong
This is a very small pilot study with only 9 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The main goal is to test feasibility and tolerability, not to prove pain relief, and TMS can cause scalp discomfort or headache.

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

Phase 1

The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.

Participants

About 9 people

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

Expected to start

Dec 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A government research agency

The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 100 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: In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria: * Participant must be willing to comply with all study procedures and be available for the duration of the study. * Male and female patients of 18 years of age or older. * Diagnosed with peripheral or central neuropathic pain of at least three months duration and phenotyped by the PRC under protocol 16-AT-0077, and on a stable pain medication regimen * In stable health as determined by study personnel, and without acute medical or mental illness for the past six weeks EXCLUSION CRITERIA: An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study: * Concurrent epilepsy or history of seizure in the last year * Inability to provide informed consent * Ferromagnetic metal in the cranial cavity or eye, implanted neural stimulator, cochlear implant, or ocular foreign body * Implanted electronics contraindicated for MRI or TMS, such as cardiac pacemaker or auto-defibrillator or pumps * Non-removable body piercings * Claustrophobia severe enough to preclude MRI * Inability to lie supine for 1 hour * Members of the NINDS BNU or NIHPRC * Individuals with elevated risk and potential contraindications to MRI, as defined by the NIH NMR center guidelines. * Known hearing loss, as assessed by asking the potential participant whether they have hearing loss * Have difficulties with communication that make subjective pain assessment impossible or unreliable * Have active medical or psychiatric health issues that create additional and substantial adverse risks related to study procedures * Pregnant participants or participants planning to become pregnant during the study. At enrollment/baseline, pregnancy status will be assessed by asking participants capable of becoming pregnant whether they are pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study. Before each fMRI, participants capable of becoming pregnant must have a negative urine pregnancy test to continue with the fMRI.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Chronic Pain

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.

  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

  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States