DepressionCREST-MSTNCT03191058
Confirmatory Efficacy and Safety Trial of Magnetic Seizure Therapy for Depression
A study testing Magnetic Seizure Therapy and Electroconvulsive Therapy in people with Depression and Unipolar Depression, run by University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at 3 sites in 2 countries.
Trial summary
This trial aims to assess the efficacy and tolerability of Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST) as an alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depression. Even with multiple medication trials, 30 - 40% of patients will experience a pharmacologically resistant form of illness. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Depression, Unipolar Depression, Treatment Resistant Depression
- What is being tested?
- Magnetic Seizure Therapy and Electroconvulsive Therapy
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 239 participants
- Where
- 3 sitesin 2 countries
- Study dates
- 26 Jun 2018to 22 Nov 2024
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Patients will be included if they:
- are inpatients or outpatients;
- are voluntary and competent to consent to treatment and research procedures according to ECT/MST attending psychiatrist;
- have a MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview diagnosis, Version 6 (MINI-6.0) diagnosis of non-psychotic MDD
- are 18 years of age or older
- have a baseline HRSD-24 score > or = 21;
Show all 11Show fewer
- are considered to be appropriate to receive convulsive therapy as assessed by an ECT attending psychiatrist and a consultant anaesthesiologist
- are agreeable to keeping their current antidepressant treatment constant during the intervention;
- are likely able to adhere to the intervention schedule;
- meet the MST safety criteria [75];
- If a woman of child-bearing potential: is willing to provide a negative pregnancy test and agrees not to become pregnant during trial participation.
Who cannot join
- Patients will be excluded if they:
- have a history of MINI diagnosis of substance dependence or abuse within the past three months;
- have a concomitant major unstable medical illness;
- are pregnant or intend to get pregnant during the study;
- have a MINI diagnosis of any primary psychotic disorder
- have a MINI diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder deemed to be primary and causing more functional impairment than the depressive disorder
Show all 13Show fewer
- have probable dementia based on study investigator assessment;
- have any significant neurological disorder or condition likely to be associated with increased intracranial pressure or a space occupying brain lesion, e.g., cerebral aneurysm;
- present with a medical condition, a medication, or a laboratory abnormality that could cause a major depressive episode or significant cognitive impairment in the opinion of the investigator (e.g., hypothyroidism with low TSH, rheumatoid arthritis requiring high dose prednisone, or Cushing's disease);
- have an intracranial implant (e.g., aneurysm clips, shunts, stimulators, cochlear implants, or electrodes) or any other metal object within or near the head, excluding the mouth, that cannot be safely removed;
- require a benzodiazepine with a dose > lorazepam 2 mg/day or equivalent or any anticonvulsant due to the potential of these medications to limit the efficacy of both MST and ECT;
- are unable to communicate in English fluently enough to complete the neuropsychological tests;
- have a non-correctable clinically significant sensory impairment (i.e., cannot hear or see well enough to complete the neuropsychological tests).
Trial locations and contacts
3 sites in 2 countries.
3 sites in 2 countries
United States2 sites
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, 75390-9127
University of California San Diego
San Diego, California, 92127
Canada1 site
Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Toronto, Ontario, M6J 1H4
About this study
Official title: Confirmatory Efficacy and Safety Trial of Magnetic Seizure Therapy for Depression (CREST - MST)
This trial aims to assess the efficacy and tolerability of Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST) as an alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depression. Even with multiple medication trials, 30 - 40% of patients will experience a pharmacologically resistant form of illness. The ineffectiveness of current treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) coupled with the economic burden associated with the disorder engenders a need for novel therapeutic interventions that can provide greater response and remission rates.
Read the detailed description
The study will involve a randomized, double blind, non-inferiority clinical trial with two treatment arms conducted in two international academic medical centers (the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada and UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas). The investigators are pursuing a non-inferiority clinical trial in an effort to compare MST - a new treatment for TRD - to RUL-UB-ECT. Treatment will be administered two to three days per week. Depression symptoms will be assessed with the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HRSD-24) and suicidality will be assessed with the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI). Remission will be defined as HRSD-24 < or = 10 and a > 60% decrease in scores from baseline on two consecutive ratings. Once a participant reaches remission, a second rating to confirm remission will be conducted immediately before their next scheduled treatment. If remission is confirmed, they will then be considered a completer of the acute treatment course. Remission of suicidal ideation is defined as a score of 0 on the SSI. Therefore, there will be no specific minimum number of treatments that patients must receive to be classified as remitters. However, patients who do not meet remission criteria after 21 treatment sessions will be considered non-remitters and will cease treatment sessions. This maximum treatment number was chosen allowing for the possibility that MST may require more treatment sessions to achieve remission, similar to RUL-UB ECT. The blind will not be broken to participants until the completion of the entire study.
- Being tested
- Magnetic Seizure Therapy, Electroconvulsive Therapy
- Keywords
- Depression, Unipolar Depression, Treatment Resistant Depression, Magnetic Seizure Therapy, Suicidal Ideation, Electroconvulsive Therapy
- Medical subject headings
- Depression, Depressive Disorder, Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant, Suicidal Ideation
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Magnetic Seizure TherapyDevice
Also called MST
MST treatment will be administered using the MagPro MST with a Cool TwinCoil over the frontal cortex in the midline position using 100 Hz stimulation. The MST determination of seizure threshold will be done using 100% machine output applied at 100 Hz at progressively escalating train durations, commencing at 2 seconds and increasing by 2 seconds with each subsequent stimulation until an adequate seizure is produced. During subsequent sessions, one stimulation will be delivered using a train duration that is 4 seconds longer than the train duration at threshold (with a maximum train duration of 10 seconds).
This will be performed under the effect of anesthesia. The treatment procedure is approximately 10 minutes, followed by a recovery period of approximately 30 minutes.
Electroconvulsive TherapyDevice
Also called ECT
In the ECT arm treatment, the MECTA spectrum 5000Q or the Sigmastim devices will be used, which are FDA approved devices used for providing standard-of-care clinical ECT treatments. The ECT determination of seizure threshold and the adjustment of energy at subsequent sessions will be based on a standard published protocol. All participants will receive RUL-UB ECT at six times the seizure threshold under the effect of anesthesia. The treatment procedure is approximately 10 minutes, followed by a recovery period of approximately 30 minutes
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST) | Experimental | MST treatments will be administered using the MagPro MST with Cool TwinCoil. Receives: Device: Magnetic Seizure Therapy |
| Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) | Active comparator | ECT treatments will be administered using the MECTA spECTrum 5000Q or the Sigmastim devices. Receives: Device: Electroconvulsive Therapy |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Remission of Depression on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-24 Item (HRSD-24)
This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression
- Scale range: 0-76 (total score)
- Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome)
- Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome) Remission defined as a HRSD-24 total score of ≤10 and 60% reduction from baseline on two consecutive assessments.
The outcome is reported as number of participants meeting remission criteria in each treatment group.
Measured: Approximately 7 weeks
Worsening of Autobiographical Memory on the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT)
In the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), participants are presented with emotional cue words and asked to retrieve a personal memory within a brief response window; interview formats have been shown to produce fewer specific and more overgeneral memories.
The outcome is reported as the number of participants who meet the predefined worsening criterion at follow-up.
The binary outcome was defined as a worsening from baseline of >25% on the AMT total score.
Measured: Approximately 7 weeks
Secondary outcomes (6)
Remission on the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI)
Remission of suicidal ideation will be assessed using the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI), a clinician-administered tool with 19 scored items rated 0-2, total score range 0-38. Higher scores indicate greater suicidal ideation severity.
Remission is defined as an SSI total score of 0 at follow-up. The outcome is the number of participants who meet remission criteria compared with baseline.
Measured: Approximately 7 weeks
Response on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-24 Item (HRSD-24)
This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression
- Scale range: 0-76 (total score)
- Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome)
- Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome) Response is defined as a HRSD-24 reduction of 50% or greater from baseline The outcome is reported as number of participants meeting response criteria in each treatment group.
Measured: Approximately 7 weeks
Score on the Brief Symptom Inventory Anxiety Section (BSI-A)
The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) anxiety section (ANX) is a subscale comprised of 6 items designed to measure subjective experiences of tension, panic, and restlessness over the past week. It uses a 5-point Likert scale (0=not at all to 4=extremely) to identify symptoms like "nervousness," "feeling tense," or "spells of terror".
Higher = worse; lower = better. The total score ranges from 0 to 24.
Measured: Approximately 7 weeks
Response on the Clinical Global Impression - Improvement Scale (CGI-I)
The Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale is a 7-point, observer-rated tool used to measure how much a patient's illness has improved or worsened relative to their baseline. It is rated from 1 (very much improved) to 7 (very much worse).
Response is defined as a CGI-I score of 1 or 2.
Measured: Approximately 7 weeks
Score on the Quality-of-Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q)
The Q-LES-Q-SF (Short Form) measures quality of life through 14 items, each rated on a 1-5 scale (1=Very Poor, 5=Very Good). Total raw scores range from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
Measured: Approximately 7 weeks
Score on the Columbia ECT Subjective Side Effects Schedule (CSSES)
The Columbia ECT Subjective Side Effects Schedule is a tool used to monitor adverse effects after each ECT session and at baseline. It tracks physical, cognitive, and mood side effects.
For the physical scale (range 0-15) and cognitive scale (range 0-6) it uses a 4-point Likert-type scale where 0 = none; 1 = yes, mild; 2 = yes, moderate; and 3 = yes, severe.
For the mood scale (range 0-3) it uses a 2-point Likert-type scale where 0 = no; 1 = yes.
For the physical and cognitive scales, higher values indicate a worse outcome. For the mood scale, higher values indicate a better outcome.
Measured: Approximately 7 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Jun 2017
- Study start26 Jun 2018
- Primary completion22 Nov 2024
- Study completion22 Nov 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (5)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for DepressionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- The study is a randomized, double blind, parallel--group clinical trial with two treatment arms conducted both at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, Texas and at the Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention based at CAMH in Toronto, Canada. Both sites aim to recruit 130 participants each.
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 239 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of California, San Diego
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Carol A. Tamminga, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- Investigators
- Daniel Blumberger, MD, Principal investigator, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03191058
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STU 032017-022
- Other IDs
- 1R01MH112815-01
- Acronym
- CREST-MST
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 12 Jun 2017
- Last updated
- 11 May 2026
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Blumberger DM, McClintock SM, Thorpe KE, Tamminga CA, Foley K, Husain MM, Kaster TS, Knyahnytska Y, Voineskos D, Bailey KJ, Hubregsen JJ, Weissman CR, Daskalakis ZJ. Confirmatory efficacy and safety trial of magnetic seizure therapy versus right unilateral ultra-brief electroconvulsive therapy in depression (CREST-MST): a randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial in Canada and the USA. Lancet Psychiatry. 2026 May;13(5):376-386. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(26)00060-X.
PubMed 41997695Daskalakis ZJ, McClintock SM, Hadas I, Kallioniemi E, Zomorrodi R, Throop A, Palmer L, Farzan F, Thorpe KE, Tamminga C, Blumberger DM. Confirmatory Efficacy and Safety Trial of Magnetic Seizure Therapy for Depression (CREST-MST): protocol for identification of novel biomarkers via neurophysiology. Trials. 2021 Dec 11;22(1):906. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05873-7.
PubMed 34895296Daskalakis ZJ, Tamminga C, Throop A, Palmer L, Dimitrova J, Farzan F, Thorpe KE, McClintock SM, Blumberger DM. Confirmatory Efficacy and Safety Trial of Magnetic Seizure Therapy for Depression (CREST-MST): study protocol for a randomized non-inferiority trial of magnetic seizure therapy versus electroconvulsive therapy. Trials. 2021 Nov 8;22(1):786. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05730-7.
PubMed 34749782Regenold WT, Deng ZD, Lisanby SH. Noninvasive neuromodulation of the prefrontal cortex in mental health disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2022 Jan;47(1):361-372. doi: 10.1038/s41386-021-01094-3. Epub 2021 Jul 16.
PubMed 34272471Jiang J, Zhang C, Li C, Chen Z, Cao X, Wang H, Li W, Wang J. Magnetic seizure therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Jun 16;6(6):CD013528. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013528.pub2.
PubMed 34131914
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Confirmatory Efficacy and Safety Trial of Magnetic Seizure Therapy for Depression (CREST - MST)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03191058
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CREST-MST / STU 032017-022
- Keywords
- Depression, Unipolar Depression, Treatment Resistant Depression, Magnetic Seizure Therapy, Suicidal Ideation, Electroconvulsive Therapy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 239 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of California, San Diego
- Study start
- 26 Jun 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 22 Nov 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 22 Nov 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 19 Jun 2017 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 11 May 2026
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This trial aims to assess the efficacy and tolerability of Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST) as an alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depression. Even with multiple medication trials, 30 - 40% of patients will experience a pharmacologically resistant form of illness. The ineffectiveness of current treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) coupled with the economic burden associated with the disorder engenders a need for novel therapeutic interventions that can provide greater response and remission rates.
Detailed description
The study will involve a randomized, double blind, non-inferiority clinical trial with two treatment arms conducted in two international academic medical centers (the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada and UT Southwestern in Dallas, Texas). The investigators are pursuing a non-inferiority clinical trial in an effort to compare MST - a new treatment for TRD - to RUL-UB-ECT. Treatment will be administered two to three days per week. Depression symptoms will be assessed with the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HRSD-24) and suicidality will be assessed with the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI). Remission will be defined as HRSD-24 < or = 10 and a > 60% decrease in scores from baseline on two consecutive ratings. Once a participant reaches remission, a second rating to confirm remission will be conducted immediately before their next scheduled treatment. If remission is confirmed, they will then be considered a completer of the acute treatment course. Remission of suicidal ideation is defined as a score of 0 on the SSI. Therefore, there will be no specific minimum number of treatments that patients must receive to be classified as remitters. However, patients who do not meet remission criteria after 21 treatment sessions will be considered non-remitters and will cease treatment sessions. This maximum treatment number was chosen allowing for the possibility that MST may require more treatment sessions to achieve remission, similar to RUL-UB ECT. The blind will not be broken to participants until the completion of the entire study.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Triple blind (participant, care provider, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The study is a randomized, double blind, parallel--group clinical trial with two treatment arms conducted both at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, Texas and at the Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention based at CAMH in Toronto, Canada. Both sites aim to recruit 130 participants each.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST) | Experimental | Device: Magnetic Seizure TherapyMST treatments will be administered using the MagPro MST with Cool TwinCoil. |
| Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) | Active comparator | Device: Electroconvulsive TherapyECT treatments will be administered using the MECTA spECTrum 5000Q or the Sigmastim devices. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (11 listed)
- are inpatients or outpatients;
- are voluntary and competent to consent to treatment and research procedures according to ECT/MST attending psychiatrist;
- have a MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview diagnosis, Version 6 (MINI-6.0) diagnosis of non-psychotic MDD
- are 18 years of age or older
- have a baseline HRSD-24 score > or = 21;
Key exclusion criteria (13 listed)
- have a history of MINI diagnosis of substance dependence or abuse within the past three months;
- have a concomitant major unstable medical illness;
- are pregnant or intend to get pregnant during the study;
- have a MINI diagnosis of any primary psychotic disorder
- have a MINI diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder deemed to be primary and causing more functional impairment than the depressive disorder
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Magnetic Seizure TherapyAlso: MSTMST treatment will be administered using the MagPro MST with a Cool TwinCoil over the frontal cortex in the midline position using 100 Hz stimulation. The MST determination of seizure threshold will be done using 100% machine output applied at 100 Hz at progressively escalating train durations, commencing at 2 seconds and increasing by 2 seconds with each subsequent stimulation until an adequate seizure is produced. During subsequent sessions, one stimulation will be delivered using a train duration that is 4 seconds longer than the train duration at threshold (with a maximum train duration of 10 seconds). This will be performed under the effect of anesthesia. The treatment procedure is approximately 10 minutes, followed by a recovery period of approximately 30 minutes. | Device | Magnetic Seizure Therapy (MST) |
| Electroconvulsive TherapyAlso: ECTIn the ECT arm treatment, the MECTA spectrum 5000Q or the Sigmastim devices will be used, which are FDA approved devices used for providing standard-of-care clinical ECT treatments. The ECT determination of seizure threshold and the adjustment of energy at subsequent sessions will be based on a standard published protocol. All participants will receive RUL-UB ECT at six times the seizure threshold under the effect of anesthesia. The treatment procedure is approximately 10 minutes, followed by a recovery period of approximately 30 minutes | Device | Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) |
Primary outcome
Remission of Depression on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-24 Item (HRSD-24)
Time frame: Approximately 7 weeks
This scale is used to quantify the severity of symptoms of depression * Scale range: 0-76 (total score) * Lower scores indicate lower severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., better outcome) * Higher scores indicate higher severity of depressive symptoms (i.e., worse outcome) Remission defined as a HRSD-24 total score of ≤10 and 60% reduction from baseline on two consecutive assessments. The outcome is reported as number of participants meeting remission criteria in each treatment group.
Worsening of Autobiographical Memory on the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT)
Time frame: Approximately 7 weeks
In the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT), participants are presented with emotional cue words and asked to retrieve a personal memory within a brief response window; interview formats have been shown to produce fewer specific and more overgeneral memories. The outcome is reported as the number of participants who meet the predefined worsening criterion at follow-up. The binary outcome was defined as a worsening from baseline of >25% on the AMT total score.
6 secondary outcomes
Remission on the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI)
Time frame: Approximately 7 weeks
Response on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-24 Item (HRSD-24)
Time frame: Approximately 7 weeks
Score on the Brief Symptom Inventory Anxiety Section (BSI-A)
Time frame: Approximately 7 weeks
Response on the Clinical Global Impression - Improvement Scale (CGI-I)
Time frame: Approximately 7 weeks
Score on the Quality-of-Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q)
Time frame: Approximately 7 weeks
Score on the Columbia ECT Subjective Side Effects Schedule (CSSES)
Time frame: Approximately 7 weeks
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 11 May 2026.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41997695Blumberger DM, McClintock SM, Thorpe KE, Tamminga CA, Foley K, Husain MM, Kaster TS, Knyahnytska Y, Voineskos D, Bailey KJ, Hubregsen JJ, Weissman CR, Daskalakis ZJ. Confirmatory efficacy and safety trial of magnetic seizure therapy versus right unilateral ultra-brief electroconvulsive therapy in depression (CREST-MST): a randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial in Canada and the USA. Lancet Psychiatry. 2026 May;13(5):376-386. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(26)00060-X.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 34895296Daskalakis ZJ, McClintock SM, Hadas I, Kallioniemi E, Zomorrodi R, Throop A, Palmer L, Farzan F, Thorpe KE, Tamminga C, Blumberger DM. Confirmatory Efficacy and Safety Trial of Magnetic Seizure Therapy for Depression (CREST-MST): protocol for identification of novel biomarkers via neurophysiology. Trials. 2021 Dec 11;22(1):906. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05873-7.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 34749782Daskalakis ZJ, Tamminga C, Throop A, Palmer L, Dimitrova J, Farzan F, Thorpe KE, McClintock SM, Blumberger DM. Confirmatory Efficacy and Safety Trial of Magnetic Seizure Therapy for Depression (CREST-MST): study protocol for a randomized non-inferiority trial of magnetic seizure therapy versus electroconvulsive therapy. Trials. 2021 Nov 8;22(1):786. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05730-7.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 34272471Regenold WT, Deng ZD, Lisanby SH. Noninvasive neuromodulation of the prefrontal cortex in mental health disorders. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2022 Jan;47(1):361-372. doi: 10.1038/s41386-021-01094-3. Epub 2021 Jul 16.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 34131914Jiang J, Zhang C, Li C, Chen Z, Cao X, Wang H, Li W, Wang J. Magnetic seizure therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Jun 16;6(6):CD013528. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013528.pub2.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Daniel Blumberger, MD principal investigator
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
3 sites in 2 countries: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Magnetic Seizure Therapy and Electroconvulsive Therapy in people with Depression and Unipolar Depression, run by University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at 3 sites in 2 countries.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 11 inclusion and 13 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 11 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 3 sites in United States, Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 11 May 2026). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Remission of Depression on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-24 Item (HRSD-24) (time frame: Approximately 7 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03191058, which also lists 5 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 11 May 2026.