Brain zaps for snack attacks? device shows promise for food cravings
NCT ID NCT06889298
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This completed study tested whether a device called BTL-699, which uses magnetic stimulation on the brain, could temporarily reduce food cravings in adults. Twenty-nine participants with frequent cravings received 4 to 6 treatments and filled out questionnaires about their cravings and comfort. The goal was to see if cravings decreased after treatment and at follow-up visits.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- BTL-699 device (transcranial magnetic stimulation)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a temporary, non-drug option to help manage food cravings.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage trial with only 29 participants. Results may not apply to everyone, and the effect is only temporary.
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
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29 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2023
- Finished
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Jun 2023
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
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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22 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * At least 3-5 self-reported episodes of food craving periods per week * Age \> 22 years * Ability to determine the motor threshold of the participant. The participant's motor threshold could be established as the minimum stimulus required to induce contraction of the right thumb at least five out of 10 times * Subjects willing and able to abstain from partaking in any other weight management treatments other than the study procedure during study participation * Willingness to comply with study instructions and to return to the clinic for the required visits Exclusion Criteria: * Cochlear implants * Intake disorders such as bulimia, anorexia * Borderline personality disorder * Other metal implants close to the application area (1 meter at least) * Personal history of epilepsy * Personal history of syncope * Vascular, traumatic, tumoral, infectious, or metabolic lesion of the brain, even without a history of seizure, and without anticonvulsant medication * Sleep deprivation * Alcoholism * Presence of a substance abuse or dependence (alcohol, caffeine, drugs) conditions associated with altered seizure risk * Intake of one or a combination of the following drugs forms a strong potential hazard for the application of rTMS due to their significant seizure threshold lowering potential: imipramine, amitriptyline, doxepine, nortriptyline, maprotiline, chlorpromazine, clozapine, foscarnet, ganciclovir, ritonavir, amphetamines, cocaine, (MDMA, ecstasy), phencyclidine (PCP, angel's dust), ketamine, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), alcohol, theophylline * Intake of seizure threshold lowering drugs such as: mianserin, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline, citalopram, reboxetine, venlafaxine, duloxetine, bupropion, mirtazapine, fluphenazine, pimozide, haloperidol, olanzapine, quetiapine, aripiprazole, ziprasidone, risperidone, chloroquine, mefloquine, imipenem, penicillin, ampicillin, cephalosporins, metronidazole, isoniazid, levofloxacin, cyclosporin, chlorambucil, vincristine, methotrexate, cytosine arabinoside, BCNU, lithium, anticholinergics, antihistamines, sympathomimetics * Withdrawal from one of the following drugs could form a relative hazard for the application of rTMS due to the resulting significant seizure threshold lowering potential: alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, meprobamate, chloralhydrate * Systemic infection, fever * Patients with a broad range of neuropsychiatric diseases are at elevated risk for seizures. - Essentially all neurologic conditions with structural cerebral damage (e.g. stroke, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, meningoencephalitis or intracerebral abscess, parenchymal or leptomeningeal cancers) are associated with an elevated risk for seizures * Major depression (elevated seizure risk) * Hyponatremia, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, renal failure/uremia, liver failure * Raised blood concentrations of pro-convulsant medications due to reduced clearance (e.g. secondary to initiation of antibiotics for treatment of infections) * Immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine, tacrolimus and other agents that can cause the posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy syndrome * Dialysis * Bipolar Disorder * Pregnancy or lactation, absence of medically approved contraceptive methods in females of childbearing potential * Urine drug screen positive for amphetamines, barbiturates, cannabinoids, cocaine metabolites, opiates and phencyclidine * Implanted infusion pumps * Intracardiac devices (pacemakers, heart valves, etc.) * Contradictions for the testing used in the trial, for example, the motor threshold cannot be found or quantified
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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National Institute for Mental Health
Klecany, 250 67, Czechia
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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