Zapping away shyness? new study tests brain stimulation for social anxiety
NCT ID NCT07466277
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing whether a non-invasive brain stimulation method called intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) can reduce symptoms of social anxiety disorder. One hundred adults with social anxiety will receive either real iTBS (to the left or right prefrontal cortex) or a sham (fake) treatment for one week. Researchers will track changes in anxiety symptoms and brain activity using EEG and questionnaires over 8 weeks to see if this approach works.
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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 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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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16 to 70 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Eligible participants must be right-handed individuals aged 16 to 70 years who meet the diagnostic criteria for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). If participants are taking concurrent psychiatric medications, their dosage must have been stable for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment. Additionally, all individuals must voluntarily agree to participate in the study and provide written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: Individuals will be excluded if they have a history of neurological disorders or other severe somatic diseases, including but not limited to seizures, central nervous system tumors, stroke, or brain aneurysms. Participants meeting DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for other primary psychiatric disorders-such as schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, bipolar and related disorders, depressive disorders, other anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, or somatic symptom and related disorders-are also ineligible. Furthermore, the study excludes those with metallic implants in the head or neck, any other clear contraindications to Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), or a previous history of receiving TMS treatment, which is restricted to prevent potential unblinding. Finally, current use, or use within the past 4 weeks, of adequate doses of benzodiazepines for more than 2 weeks is an exclusion criterion, as it may limit the therapeutic efficacy of TMS.
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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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Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University
RECRUITINGHangzhou, Zhejiang, 310013, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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