Den här översättningen är inte klar ännu. Den här sidan är just nu på engelska.

Gå till den engelska sidan

Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Brain stimulation trial targets depression in autistic teens

NCT ID NCT04972136

Symptom relief Sponsor: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called rTMS can safely and effectively reduce depression in autistic youth aged 16-24. Eighty participants will receive either real or sham rTMS over 30 sessions. The goal is to see if this approach, already used for depression in the general population, works well for autistic individuals who often lack tailored treatments.

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) device
What this could lead to
If it works, this could provide a new, well-tolerated treatment option for depression in autistic youth, who currently have few evidence-based therapies.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage trial with only 80 participants. The sham control means some may not improve, and results may not apply to all autistic individuals. Side effects like headache or discomfort are possible.

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 80 people

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

Started

Jan 2021

Expected to finish

Jan 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

16 to 35 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: * Fluent in English * ASD diagnosis confirmed by the clinician/clinical team, and IQ\> or =70 * Able to participate in the informed consent process, provide voluntary informed consent and provide a spontaneous narrative description of the key elements of the study * Clinical stability: determined by a physician, no switch of psychotropic medications or increase in dosage in the last 30 days; no change in other therapeutic interventions in last 30 days * BDI-II score ≥21 that is sustained over a lead-in period of two weeks * Global Assessment of Function (GAF) scores (≤60) that is sustained over a lead-in period of two weeks AND/OR VABS-III below adequate functioning at baseline assessment. Exclusion Criteria: * A history of a DSM-5 substance use disorder (other than tobacco) within the past six months; or a positive baseline urine drug screen * Significantly debilitating medical or neurologic illness, or acute or unstable medical illnesses as determined by study physician * Metal implants or a pace-maker, claustrophobia that would preclude the MRI scan * Actively suicidal (i.e., suicidal ideation with plan and intent) or high risk for suicide as assessed by a study psychiatrist * History of seizures * Taking benzodiazepines at a dose greater or equal to 2mg Lorazepam or any anticonvulsant medication * Prior rTMS treatment * Pregnancy

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Autism spectrum disorder are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

autism spectrum disorder major depressive disorder Self-Injurious Behavior

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Autism spectrum disorder Major depressive disorder

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

  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

    RECRUITING

    Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1H4, Canada

More trials for these conditions

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