Brain scans may predict who benefits from TMS for depression
NCT ID NCT07422844
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study observes 100 people with depression who are already receiving transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy. Researchers use brain scans and symptom questionnaires to see how brain networks change during treatment and whether these changes can predict who gets better. The goal is to understand why TMS works for some people but not others.
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 successful, this could help doctors predict which depression patients will benefit from TMS therapy, making treatment more personalized.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It aims to understand brain changes, not to prove TMS works. Results may not lead to immediate clinical changes.
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 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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.
Who is studied
Roughly 50 patients will be recruited at the study site in Frankfurt, 25 at the study site in Marburg and 25 at the study site in Gießen. Due to the observational nature of the study, the recruitment process is limited by the TMS treatment capacities of the University Clinics.
- Ages
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18 to 70 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: * Patients who are treated with TMS as an antidepressant will be recruited for study participation. The TMS treatment is carried out regardless of study participation. * Men and women will be included in a balanced ratio. * German language skills are required to ensure that questionnaires, interviews, and instructions are correctly understood, processed and answered. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients younger than 18 or older than 70 will be excluded * Participants who did not participate in the DYNAMIC central project (German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00038256) will be excluded. * Further exclusion criteria for participation are acute or chronic neurological diseases. * Patients who are pregnant will not be included in the study. * As we use app-based questionnaires, we cannot include participants without internet-enabled devices in the study.
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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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Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie
RECRUITINGFrankfurt am Main, Hesse, 60528, Germany
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