Brain zaps for teen PTSD? small study tests TMS after therapy fails
NCT ID NCT07401225
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 14, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can help teens aged 12-20 who still have PTSD symptoms after finishing trauma-focused therapy. About 20 participants will receive 10 TMS sessions over a month. The goal is to see if TMS is safe and acceptable, and to gather early data for larger future studies.
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) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new treatment option for teens with PTSD that doesn't go away after talk therapy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early study with only 20 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. It focuses on safety and feasibility, not yet on proving effectiveness.
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 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2026
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2027
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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12 to 20 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. Males and females; Age 12-20 2. Have previously completed at least 9 sessions of trauma-focused therapy in our clinical trial or in the community 3. Have current self-reported symptom score of 20 or greater on the UCLA PTSD Reaction index 4. Willing to attend 10 TMS treatment sessions within a 30-day period 5. Fluent in English Exclusion Criteria: 1. History of seizures 2. History of head injury with loss of consciousness and concussive sequelae 3. Brain abnormality such as tumor or other observable abnormality 4. Currently receiving psychotherapy or TMS treatment 5. Currently pregnant 6. MRI contraindications (metal in body, orthodontic braces) 7. Diagnosis of bipolar 1 or a psychotic disorder
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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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UT Health Department of Psychiatry
RECRUITINGSan Antonio, Texas, 78229, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can reassuring cues help military personnel with PTSD read emotions?
- Can talk therapies quiet the trauma of violence?
- Could pausing psychiatric pills boost PTSD therapy?
- Can emotional patterns reveal the true nature of teen trauma?
- Beta-Blocker may rewrite traumatic memories in PTSD
- Zapping the Brain's fear hub: a new hope for PTSD?