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Brain zapping therapy shows promise for PTSD in new trial

NCT ID NCT02990793

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested a personalized magnetic brain stimulation therapy called MeRT for people with PTSD. 158 adults received either real or sham treatment. The goal was to see if MeRT could safely reduce PTSD symptoms. The approach tailors the stimulation to each person's brain waves.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
magnetic brain stimulation (MeRT)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a new, personalized treatment option to ease PTSD symptoms without medication.
What could go wrong
This is a completed trial, but results are not yet widely confirmed. The treatment is still experimental, and not all participants may benefit. Risks include discomfort or lack of effect.

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

158 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Apr 2022

Finished

Nov 2025

Lead sponsor

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

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: Participants must meet all inclusion criteria to qualify for enrollment in the study: 1. Willing and able to consent to participate in the study 2. Age 18 - 65 years 3. Diagnosis of PTSD according to DSM-V criteria via CAPS-5 4. Onset of symptoms meeting the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD symptoms persisting for a minimum of 6 months prior to the Screening Visit 5. Minimum PCL-5 score of 30 Exclusion Criteria Participants will be excluded from study participation if one or more of the following exclusion criteria apply: 1. Index trauma occurred before the age of 16 years 2. History of open skull injury 3. History of a neurological disorder including, but not limited to: * Seizure disorder * Any condition likely to be associated with increased intracranial pressure * Space occupying brain lesion 4. History of cerebrovascular accident 5. History of cerebral aneurysm 6. EEG abnormalities that indicate risk of seizure, i.e., abnormal focal or general slowing, or ictal spikes, during the EEG recording 7. Inability to calculate the EEG intrinsic alpha frequency at Screening 8. Participation in any interventional research protocol within 3 months prior to the Screening Visit 9. History of any type of ECT, rTMS, or MeRT treatment 10. Treated within 30 days of the Screening Visit with any antipsychotic medication 11. Treated within 30 days of the Screening Visit with any benzodiazepine or anticonvulsant medications 12. Current treatment with any restricted concomitant medication (i.e., NDRI, SSRI, SNRI, or QBDZ) that has not been stable for the preceding 60 days at the time of the Screening Visit 13. Intracranial implant (e.g., aneurysm clips, shunts, stimulators, cochlear implants, stents, or electrodes) or any other metal object within the head, excluding the mouth, or on the head, that cannot be safely removed 14. Biomedical devices, including those not in or on the head, that are either implanted or not safe to remove, that may be affected by the magnetic field of the stimulator (e.g., cardiac pacemaker, cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), or medication dispensing device) 15. Clinically significant medical illness or condition, including, but not limited to, any uncontrolled thyroid disorders, hepatic, cardiac, pulmonary and renal malfunction, or chronic excessive alcohol consumption, that in the Investigator's judgment might pose a potential safety risk to the participant or limit the interpretation of trial results 16. Pregnant, or female unwilling to use effective birth control during the course of the trial 17. Plan to move away from the area, or knowledge that there will be an absence from the area, within 80 days following the Screening Visit (inclusive) 18. Unwilling or unable to adhere to the study treatment, data collection schedule, or study procedures, or any condition, including inability to communicate in English, which in the judgment of the Investigator might prevent the participant from completing the study, render study results uninterpretable, or represent an unacceptable safety risk to the participant or study personnel that is not otherwise listed in exclusion criteria. 19. Clinically significant psychopathology, including, but not limited to, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or other psychiatric disorder that in the Investigator's judgment might pose a potential safety risk to the participant, or limit the interpretation of trial results 20. An elevated risk of suicide or violence to others 21. Current psychotherapeutic treatment, expected to continue throughout the trial, that was begun in the preceding 60 days at the time of the Screening Visit

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Brain Concussion Brain Injuries, Traumatic post-traumatic stress disorder traumatic brain injury

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • BrainHealth Solutions

    Costa Mesa, California, 92626, United States

  • Center for Interventional Pain and Spine

    Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, 19010, United States

  • Columbus Brain Research Center

    Columbus, Ohio, 43219, United States

  • Seattle Neuropsychiatric Treatment Center (Seattle NTC)

    Bellevue, Washington, 98004, United States

  • SoCal Neuroscience Research Unit

    San Diego, California, 92103, United States

  • Texas A&M Research Center

    Plano, Texas, 75093, United States

  • UNC Rex Hospital

    Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607, United States

  • VA Long Beach Healthcare System

    Long Beach, California, 90822, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.