Brain training shows promise for tic control in teens
NCT ID NCT05558566
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether real-time fMRI neurofeedback can help teens aged 10-16 with Tourette Syndrome reduce their tics. Participants learn to control activity in a brain region linked to tics by watching their own brain activity on a screen. The trial compares this to a control group that receives feedback from a different brain area. The goal is to see if this training leads to lasting symptom improvement.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- real-time fMRI neurofeedback
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a non-drug, non-invasive way for teens to gain some control over their tics.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 64 participants. The effect may be small, temporary, or not work for everyone. It requires multiple fMRI sessions, which may not be practical long-term.
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 64 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2022
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
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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10 to 16 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: * Boys and girls, 10 to 16 years of age * A current diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome (TS) or chronic tic disorder (CTD), with active tics that can be executed without head movement, and a YGTSS score of at least 13 (for TS participants) or at least 12 (for CTD participants) * Currently stable medication treatment and no planned changes in medication for the duration of the study. * Family residence within 2 hours of Yale Medical Center with ability and willingness to attend assessment and fMRI visits. * Children and their parents are expected to be able to speak and understand spoken English in order to participate in a clinical assessment of TS and related psychopathology. * Subjects will be free of: 1) metal medical implants or braces, 2) pregnancy, and will have 3) a body weight of less than 250 lbs. and 4) no claustrophobia. Exclusion Criteria: * Intelligence quotient below 80 * Current diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, bipolar or psychotic disorder or current suicidality * Significant medical condition such as heart disease, hypertension, liver or renal failure, pulmonary disease, seizure disorder * Recently initiated psychotherapy. Participation in the study will not be allowed within 8 weeks of the initiation of psychotherapy. Ongoing, concurrent psychotherapy (that was initiated at least 8 weeks previously) for the child will be allowed, but parents will be asked not to initiate any new psychotherapy for the child during the study * Subjects may also be excluded after the first MR scan if we are unable to localize the two regions in their brain that are used as targets for the active and control neurofeedback conditions.
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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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Yale University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGNew Haven, Connecticut, 06520, United States
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