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Could a weekend of brain zaps ease depression and long COVID?

NCT ID NCT07197138

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This pilot study tests whether an intensified schedule of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (iTBS) — six sessions a day for five days — works better than the standard one-session-a-day for six weeks in people with depression and Post-COVID condition. Researchers will measure changes in blood markers of inflammation and depression symptoms in 42 participants. The goal is to gather early evidence for larger trials.

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) using intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a faster treatment schedule for depression and Post-COVID fatigue by reducing brain inflammation.
What could go wrong
This is a very small pilot study (42 people) with no placebo group, so results may not be conclusive or apply to everyone. The intensified schedule may cause more discomfort or side effects.

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 42 people

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

Started

Sep 2025

Expected to finish

Sep 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 65 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: * Age 18-65 years * Capacity to consent (legally competent, written informed consent including data protection) * Diagnosis of depression (at least moderate severity, BDI-II ≥ 20), including major depressive episode in bipolar disorder * Comorbid diagnosis of Post-COVID-19 condition (WHO definition) * Insufficient improvement of depressive symptoms under psychopharmacological treatment * Stable psychopharmacological medication for at least 4 weeks prior to start of iTBS Exclusion Criteria: * Age \<18 years or \>65 years * Pregnancy, planned pregnancy, or breastfeeding * Legal guardianship or cognitive impairment preventing valid informed consent * Severe developmental disorder or intellectual disability * Acute or chronic substance abuse (alcohol, prescription drugs, or illicit drugs) * Current treatment with benzodiazepines or Z-substances * Acute suicidality * Psychotic symptoms * Severe neurological disorder (e.g., major brain injury, neurodegenerative disease) * Ongoing treatment with another neurostimulation method (ECT, TMS, VNS) * Contraindications to TMS, including: Intracranial metal, implants, shunts, Cochlear implant, pacemaker, implantable defibrillator, History of seizures or epileptiform EEG * Severe general medical illness (e.g., anemia requiring transfusion, severe arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

depressive disorder long COVID-19 major depressive disorder Neuroinflammatory Diseases post-COVID-19 disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Depressive disorder Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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

  • Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry

    RECRUITING

    Munich, Bavaria, 80804, Germany

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