5-Day brain zaps could lift depression and OCD faster than ever
NCT ID NCT04982757
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests a new, faster version of a brain stimulation treatment called TMS for people with depression or OCD. Instead of daily sessions for weeks, participants get 10 hours of TMS each day for just 5 days. The goal is to see if this quick approach can improve symptoms and to use brain scans to figure out who benefits most. The study involves 500 adults who have not gotten enough help from standard treatments.
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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 500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2021
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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 75 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: * Diagnosis of major depressive disorder OR obsessive-compulsive disorder (DSM-V criteria) * Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score greater than or equal to 18 OR Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale score greater than or equal to 16 * Failed at least 1 prior trial of standard first-line treatment for depression or OCD per the modified Antidepressant Treatment History form and APA Practice Guidelines (e.g. serotonin reuptake inhibitor \[SRI\] or cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention) OR had refused these treatments for individual reasons (e.g., cannot tolerate side effects, cannot tolerate exposure therapy, etc.). * Off antidepressants OR on a stable dose of antidepressants for greater than or equal to four weeks with plans to remain on this stable dose during the study Note: Medications that are known to increase cortical excitability (e.g., buprorion, maprotiline, tricyclic antidepressants, classical antipsychotics) or to have an inhibitory effect on brain excitability (e.g., anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines, and atypical antipsychotics), or any other medications with relative hazard for use in TMS will be allowed upon review of medications and/or motor threshold determination by TMS specialist. * Capacity to consent Exclusion Criteria: * Imminent risk of suicide (based on the CSSRS) * Presence of primary psychiatric diagnoses other than OCD, MDD and/or co-morbid GAD (ex. PTSD, MDD with psychotic features, primary psychotic illness, Bipolar I or II) * Evidence of cognitive impairment (MMSE score falling 1 SD below mean score for his/her age and education) * Evidence of psychotic symptoms on diagnostic interview (interfering with capacity to consent) * Have met criteria for any significant substance use disorder within the past 6 months * Recent onset (within 8 weeks of screening) of psychotherapy * Prior completion of this accelerated TMS treatment protocol during the current depressive episode * Participated in any clinical trial with an investigational drug or device within the past 6 weeks prior to screening * Evidence or history of significant neurological disorder including moderate-severe head trauma, stroke, Parkinson's disease or other movement disorder (except benign essential tremor), epilepsy * History of seizures (except juvenile febrile seizures) or any condition/concurrent medication that could notably lower seizure threshold * Presence of foreign metal bodies/implanted intracranial devices (MRI contraindication) * Current pregnancy or planning to conceive during the study * Abnormal bloodwork for electrolytes, thyroid or liver function
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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 places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York, 10065, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can teachers and a phone app ease teen depression?
- Can imagining exercise boost brain power after spinal cord injury?
- Can an antipsychotic restore feelings in people with depression?
- Can a group program teach teens to cope before therapy starts?