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Magnetic pulses to the brain: a new hope for depression?

NCT ID NCT04392947

Symptom relief Sponsor: University Hospital Tuebingen Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether a type of brain stimulation called theta burst stimulation (TBS) can help people with major depression who haven't gotten enough relief from standard treatments. 238 adults with moderate to severe depression received either real TBS or a sham (fake) version daily for 6 weeks, alongside their usual care. The goal was to see if TBS could reduce depression scores by at least half.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) – theta burst stimulation
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-drug add-on treatment to ease depression symptoms for people who haven't responded well to antidepressants.
What could go wrong
This is a completed trial, but results are not yet published. The effect may be small or no better than sham, and it requires daily clinic visits for 6 weeks.

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

238 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2020

Finished

Jul 2025

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

18 to 70 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: * moderate or severe unipolar depression diagnosed according to criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) * duration of the current episode must be ≥ 6 weeks and ≤ 2 years * HDRS17 ≥ 18 * mild to moderate treatment resistance according to the Antidepressant Treatment History Form \[ATHF-SF\]. Treatment resistance is defined as having failed at least one but no more than three adequate antidepressant treatments in this episode * stable antidepressive medication 4 weeks before treatment or no antidepressive treatment * no further relevant psychiatric axis-I and/or axis-II disorder except for anxiety disorders (according to DSM-5 and SCID-5-PD) * no comorbid psychotic symptoms * ability to give consent Exclusion Criteria: * acute suicidality (MADRS item 10 score \> 4) * antiepileptic drugs and/or benzodiazepines corresponding to \> 1mg lorazepam / day * history of brain surgery, significant and clinically relevant brain malformation or neoplasm, head injury, stroke, dementia or other neurodegenerative disorder * history of seizures * previous rTMS treatment * lifetime history of non-response to adequate electroconvulsive therapy (minimum of eight treatments) * deep brain stimulation * cardiac pacemakers, intracranial implant, or metal in the cranium * substance dependence or abuse in the past 3 months (with the exception of tobacco) * severe somatic comorbidity as judged by the study physician * pregnancy

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Major depressive disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, Bezirkskrankenhaus Augsburg

    Augsburg, 86156, Germany

  • University of Leipzig, Dept. Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

    Leipzig, Germany

  • University of Munich

    Munich, 80336, Germany

  • University of Regensburg, Dept. Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

    Regensburg, 93053, Germany

  • University of Tuebingen, Dept Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

    Tübingen, 72076, Germany

  • University of Um, Dept. Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

    Ulm, 89075, Germany

  • University of Wuerzburg, Dept. Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

    Würzburg, Germany

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