Brain zaps aim to quiet stubborn nerve pain in spinal injury patients
NCT ID NCT07293780
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether magnetic pulses to the brain (TMS) can ease nerve pain that won't go away with standard drugs in people with spinal cord injury. 39 adults with pain for at least 6 months will receive either real or sham TMS to the motor cortex or the anterior cingulate cortex over 2 weeks. The goal is to see if targeting a different brain area works better for pain relief.
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 offer a new, non-drug way to reduce chronic nerve pain after spinal cord injury.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 39 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The effect may be modest or no better than sham treatment.
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 39 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a government body.
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: 1. Patients for whom at least 12 months have passed since the date of the event 2. Patients who meet the International Pain Working Group's criteria for central neuropathic pain below the level of the lesion and who have had pain for at least 6 months 3. Patients aged 18-65 4. Pain not attributable to other causes such as rheumatological diseases or diabetes 5. Patients with VAS \> 4 despite maximum dose of pharmacological agents (anticonvulsants, antidepressants, narcotics), exercise and physical therapy agents, taking into account renal function tests and other comorbidities Exclusion Criteria: 1. History of epilepsy 2. Metallic implant in the scalp 3. Cochlear implant 4. Spinal cord stimulator 5. Pacemaker 6. Presence of psychiatric illness 7. Pregnancy
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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
2 sites. 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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Ankara Etlik City Hospital
RECRUITINGAnkara, Yenimahalle, 06010, Turkey (Türkiye)
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Gaziler Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital
RECRUITINGAnkara, Çankaya, 06800, Turkey (Türkiye)
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