Scientists map brain circuits with TMS to personalize mental health treatment
NCT ID NCT06376734
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study uses transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to map brain circuits in 180 adults with depression, OCD, anxiety, or schizophrenia. Participants receive accelerated TMS over two days while completing behavioral tests and questionnaires. The goal is to understand which brain circuits control which behaviors, not to treat symptoms directly.
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)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help personalize TMS therapy by targeting specific brain circuits for different mental health conditions.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-phase mapping study, not a treatment trial. It may not lead to direct clinical benefits, and results may not apply to all patients.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 180 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2030
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: * Age 18-65 * English proficiency sufficient for informed consent, questionnaires/tasks, and treatment * Primary diagnosis of one of the following: major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or schizophrenia (determined by focal assessment using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5) * ≥20 on the Beck Depression Inventory for patients with MDD * ≥16 on the Beck Anxiety Inventory for patients with GAD * ≥16 on the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale for patients with OCD * ≥58 on the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale for patients with schizophrenia * Stable psychotropic medication regimen, or remain medication free, for 4 weeks prior to treatment (Medication changes during study enrollment period will be tracked for post hoc analysis). * Primary clinician (e.g. psychiatrist, therapist, psychologist, APRN, PA, etc.) responsible for psychiatric care before, during, and after the trial Exclusion Criteria: * Active pregnancy as determined by a urine pregnancy test * Cluster B personality disorders (antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder) * PTSD with active, clinically significant symptoms, as determined by clinician * Diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder, Bipolar Type * Recent (within 4 weeks) or concurrent use of rapid-acting antidepressant agent (ketamine/esketamine/ECT) * Ferromagnetic metallic implant that would contraindicate receiving TMS or obtaining MRI * Any other TMS or MRI safety concerns identified by the clinician * Receiving or planning to receive other TMS treatments during course of participation * History of: * Neurosurgical intervention for mental illness * Moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder * Intellectual disability * Severe cognitive impairment * Significant neurological illness (e.g., dementia, Parkinson's, Huntington's, brain tumor, seizure disorder, subdural hematoma, multiple sclerosis) * Untreated or insufficiently treated endocrine disorder * Eating disorders * Treatment with investigational drug or intervention during the study period * Current evidence of: * Mania or hypomania * Active suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt within the past year * Contraindications to either TMS or MRI (e.g., metallic implants, etc.). * Current moderate or severe substance use disorder or demonstrating signs of acute substance withdrawal * Significantly increased seizure risk as determined by a clinician * For participants with schizophrenia: * Evidence of impaired capacity to consent, e.g. impaired insight into illness, as deemed by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist on the study team * Hospitalization with psychosis in the past 6 months * Positive urine drug screen for illicit substances * Existing tinnitus (ringing in the ears) * Any other condition deemed by the PI to interfere with the study or increase risk to the participant
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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
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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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Acacia Clinics
RECRUITINGSunnyvale, California, 94087, United States
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Brigham and Women's Hospital
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States
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