Magnetic brain zap could curb uncontrollable hunger in rare disorder

NCT ID NCT05938543

Symptom relief Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether a noninvasive technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can change brain activity related to hunger and fullness in people with Prader-Willi syndrome. Researchers will stimulate a part of the brain called the cerebellum and measure changes in brain scans and appetite. The trial is very small (20 people) and is focused on whether the procedure is feasible and safe, not yet on proving it works as a treatment.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could point toward a noninvasive way to reduce extreme hunger in Prader-Willi syndrome.
What could go wrong: This is a very small, early feasibility study (20 people) with no control group. It is designed mainly to see if the procedure is practical, not to prove it works.

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 20 people

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

Started

Sep 2023

Expected to finish

Oct 2026

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 64 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: * Diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome Exclusion Criteria: * contraindications for TMS or MRI including : * history of neurological disorder * history of head trauma resulting in loss of consciousness * history of seizures or diagnosis of epilepsy or first degree relative family history of epilepsy * metal in brain or skull * implanted devices such as a pacemaker, medication pump, nerve stimulator or ventriculoperitoneal shunt claustrophobic in MRI

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Prader-Willi syndrome

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Prader-Willi syndrome

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.

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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.

Magnetic brain zap could curb uncontrollable hunger in rare disorder

What the study statuses mean