Brain zapping without surgery: new study tests temporal interference for anxiety and PTSD
NCT ID NCT07558759
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 16, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study will test a non-invasive brain stimulation method called temporal interference (TI) in 300 healthy volunteers and people with anxiety or PTSD. TI uses two weak electrical fields to target deep brain areas linked to fear and emotion without affecting the surface of the brain. Researchers will measure changes in anxiety, mood regulation, and PTSD symptoms to understand how TI affects the brain and whether it could one day be used as a treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Temporal Interference (TI) electrical stimulation device
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward a new non-invasive brain stimulation method to help manage anxiety and PTSD symptoms.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study focused on understanding brain effects, not yet testing a proven treatment. It may not lead to a therapy, and individual results may vary.
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 300 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2031
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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18 to 65 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: * Written informed consent. * Fluent English speaker. * Both sexes and all ethnic origins, between 18 and 65 years old. * Absence of current moderate to severe illicit drug use as assessed by subject history (AUDIT\>=8 and/or DAST\>2). Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant or currently breast-feeding women or any woman of childbearing potential who is seeking to become pregnant or suspects that she may be pregnant, as assessed by subject report and/or urine pregnancy screen. * Contraindications to MRI scanning (including presence of a cardiac pacemaker or pacemaker wires, metallic particles in the body, vascular clips in the head or previous neurosurgery, prosthetic heart valves, claustrophobia, as assessed with the standard MRI screening form from the CABI, FERN or CSI. * Unable to fit comfortably in the scanner. * Contraindication to TI and/or TMS (including history of epilepsy, metallic implants in the head and/or neck, brain stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, VP shunt, pacemakers) * Current use of medications that may increase the risk of seizures (e.g., bupropion, varenicline, chlorpromazine, theophylline). * History or current serious or unstable medical illness, including cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, respiratory, endocrine, neurologic or hematologic disease, as assessed by subject history. * History of head injury resulting in more than brief loss of consciousness, as assessed by subject history. * Current cocaine or stimulant use (e.g., amphetamine, cocaine, methamphetamine), as assessed by subject history. * Evidence of significant inconsistencies in self-report measures. * Non-English speakers will be excluded from this study because the research procedures rely heavily on the administration of validated self-report questionnaires, clinical interviews, and task instructions that at this time, are only available in English. Additionally, study staff are trained to administer these assessments and obtain informed consent in English only. Including non-English speakers would therefore pose a risk of misunderstanding study procedures, consent materials, or questionnaire items, which could affect both participant comprehension and data integrity.
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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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Emory University
RECRUITINGAtlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States
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