New brain zapping method could ease anxiety
NCT ID NCT07403591
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a non-invasive brain stimulation method called cTBS for treating generalized anxiety disorder. 60 adults will receive either real or sham stimulation to two brain areas over 7 days. Researchers will measure changes in anxiety symptoms and brain activity using MRI scans.
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
-
About 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Mar 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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 60 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 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. Diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), confirmed by at least two psychiatrists. 2. Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) score \> 14. 3. Age between 18 and 60 years. 4. Right-handed. 5. More than 5 years of education. 6. Patients are either medication-free or maintain a consistent medication regimen during cTBS treatment. 7. Willing and able to provide written informed consent. 8. Normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity and hearing. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of other psychiatric disorders, such as substance abuse, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, hysteria, autism, or bipolar disorder. 2. History of epilepsy, seizures, or severe neurological diseases (e.g., stroke, organic brain lesions). 3. Presence of severe somatic diseases, such as severe heart, liver, or renal insufficiency. 4. Pregnant or lactating women. 5. Contraindications to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), such as the presence of a cardiac pacemaker, cochlear implant, cerebrovascular metal stent, or metal dentures. 6. Inability to cooperate with experimental procedures due to conditions such as severe claustrophobia.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Generalized anxiety disorder are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Anhui Medical University
Hefei, Anhui, 230000, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a cannabis tincture quiet an anxious mind?
- Can a computer game rewire anxious Kids' brains?
- Can a new Under-the-Tongue drug offer lasting relief for Treatment-Resistant anxiety?
- Can tailored brain stimulation quiet anxiety that drugs Can't?
- Can a smartphone app calm anxiety and protect the heart?
- Can a new daily pill offer lasting relief for anxiety?