Brain zap and EEG combo may spot hidden injury
NCT ID NCT06963775
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study will test a device called Delphi-MD that uses magnetic pulses and brain wave recordings to diagnose traumatic brain injury (TBI). Researchers will compare results from 215 people with TBI to healthy controls, looking for patterns that could help identify and assess brain damage. The goal is to find a more accurate way to diagnose TBI, especially when standard scans are normal.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Delphi-MD device (transcranial magnetic stimulation with EEG)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a more objective way to diagnose and assess traumatic brain injury, helping doctors better understand a patient's condition.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with 215 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The device is still experimental and not yet proven for routine use.
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.
- Participants
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About 215 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Aug 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2030
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.
Who is studied
We will enroll up to 145 patients with a traumatic brain injury diagnosis evaluated at University of Pennsylvania Health System over 5 years. We will also evaluate up to 70 uninjured healthy controls, matched by age and gender to TBI participants.
- Ages
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18 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 for Traumatic Brain Injury (Acute, Subacute, Chronic) group: 1. Age 18 years and older 2. Evidence of mechanical energy impacting the head or inertial forces affecting the head 3. Either (A) or (B): 1. Trauma-related abnormality on CT scan on admission 2. If CT normal, documented/verified TBI based on evidence of either loss of consciousness, post-traumatic amnesia, confusion, or post-traumatic symptoms. Exclusion Criteria for Traumatic Brain Injury (Acute, Subacute, Chronic) group: 1. History of disabling pre-existing neurologic disease (Such as epilepsy, brain tumors, meningitis, cerebral palsy, encephalitis, brain abscesses, vascular malformations, cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, or HIV-encephalitis) 2. History of premorbid disabling condition that interfere with outcome assessments 3. Bilaterally absent pupillary responses 4. Penetrating traumatic brain injury 5. Prisoners or patients in police custody 6. Pregnancy 7. Subjects with magnetic-sensitive devices implanted in their head or within 12 in. (30 cm) of the coil/probe (examples: cochlear implants, deep brain stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, other implanted electrodes/stimulators, aneurysm clips or coils, stents and bullet fragments). Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Control group: 1. Age 18 years and older 2. No history of TBI in the past 12 months Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Control group: 1. History of disabling pre-existing neurologic disease (Such as epilepsy, brain tumors, meningitis, cerebral palsy, encephalitis, brain abscesses, vascular malformations, cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, or HIV-encephalitis) 2. History of premorbid disabling condition that interfere with outcome assessments 3. Prisoners or patients in police custody 4. Pregnancy 5. Subjects with magnetic-sensitive devices implanted in their head or within 12 in. (30 cm) of the coil/probe (examples: cochlear implants, deep brain stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, other implanted electrodes/stimulators, aneurysm clips or coils, stents and bullet fragments).
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Why a simple fall can cause brain bleeding in older adults
- Bedside ultrasound could flag hidden brain injury decline
- Zapping the brain to restore lost vision
- Machine learning may forecast brain decline after head injury
- MRI tracer could expose hidden brain energy crisis after head injury