Scientists use magnetic pulses to map hallucinations in the brain
NCT ID NCT05343598
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study uses a noninvasive technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to understand how hallucinations work in people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Researchers will stimulate a specific brain circuit and measure changes in brain connectivity and symptom severity. The goal is to learn more about the brain mechanisms behind hallucinations, not to test a new 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 successful, this could reveal how brain stimulation affects hallucinations, pointing toward new treatment targets for schizophrenia.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study focused on understanding brain circuits, not testing a treatment. It is small (68 people) and may not lead to direct symptom improvement.
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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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 68 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2021
- Expected to finish
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Oct 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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18 to 55 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 schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder Exclusion Criteria: * substance use disorder in past 3 months * ambidexterity * 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.
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. 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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McLean Hospital
RECRUITINGBelmont, Massachusetts, 02478, United States
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- A shot every few weeks? new drug tested for schizophrenia