Brain zaps after stroke: could TMS help heal faster?

NCT ID NCT06639360

Disease control Sponsor: Xijing Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called TMS can improve recovery in people who have had a stroke and undergone a clot removal procedure. Sixty participants will receive either real or sham TMS sessions alongside standard care. Researchers will measure changes in brain damage, disability, and safety outcomes over the first few days.

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)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could point toward a new, non-invasive way to improve recovery and reduce brain damage after a stroke.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-stage trial (60 people) testing a device, not a drug. The treatment may not show clear benefits over sham, and individual results can 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

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 60 people

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

Started

Aug 2025

Expected to finish

Dec 2026

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

18 to 80 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: 1. Patients with acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke aged between 18 and 80 years old. 2. Imaging suggests that the infarction is caused by occlusion of the terminal portion of the internal carotid artery or the M1/M2 segment of the middle cerebral artery. 3. A head CT within 24 hours of onset indicates an ASPECT score ≥6, and meets the guideline-recommended criteria for thrombectomy. 4. Pre-stroke mRS score is ≤1. 5. NIHSS score before thrombectomy is between 6 and 25. 6. With vascular recanalization of mTICI \> 2b/3. 7. Informed consent form signed. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with contraindications to TMS treatment, such as those with metallic foreign objects in the head, pacemakers, implantable drug pumps, cochlear implants, etc.; 2. Patients with epilepsy, increased intracranial pressure, tumors, acute cerebral hemorrhage, or other severe neurological diseases, and those with severe functional impairment of organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys; 3. Head CT/MRI indicates midline shift or significant mass effect, or patients planned for surgical intervention; 4. Head CT/MRI suggests acute cerebral infarction in both sides; 5. Patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding; 6. Patients with severe mental disorders or dementia who cannot cooperate with follow-up; 7. Patients with other severe diseases resulting in an expected survival of less than 90 days; 8. Patients who are participating in other interventional clinical studies within 30 days before the start of this study or after the onset of this condition; 9. Patients who cannot cooperate with informed consent.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

ischemic stroke

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Endovascular thrombectomy Ischemic stroke, acute

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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.

Brain zaps after stroke: could TMS help heal faster?

What the study statuses mean