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Treatment Resistant DepressionNCT05144789

Personalized Therapeutic Neuromodulation for Anhedonic Depression

A study testing Active TBS-DLPFC and Active TBS-DMPFC in people with Treatment Resistant Depression, run by Stanford University at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will investigate the anti-anhedonic efficacy of a novel neurostimulation strategy termed accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (aiTBS) in participants with treatment resistant depression (TRD). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
Treatment Resistant Depression
What is being tested?
Active TBS-DLPFC and Active TBS-DMPFC
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
70 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
31 May 2022to 31 Dec 2025
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 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Male or Female, between the ages of 18 and 80 at the time of screening.
  • Able to read, understand, and provide written, dated informed consent prior to screening. Proficiency in English sufficient to complete questionnaires / follow instructions during fMRI assessments and aiTBS interventions. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures, including availability for the duration of the study, and to communicate with study personnel about adverse events and other clinically important information.
  • Currently diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)and meets criteria for a Major Depressive Episode, according to the criteria defined in the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5).
  • The patient has demonstrated a failure of one or more trials of a pharmacological medication as treatment for MDD.
  • MADRS score of ≥20 at screening (Visit 1).
  • TMS naive.
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  • Access to ongoing psychiatric care before and after completion of the study.
  • Must be on a stable antidepressant therapeutic regimen for 6 weeks prior to study enrollment and agree to continue this regimen throughout the study period.
  • In good general health, as evidenced by medical history.
  • For females of reproductive potential: use of highly effective contraception for at least 1 month prior to screening and agreement to use such a method during study participation.
  • Agreement to adhere to Lifestyle Considerations throughout study duration.

Who cannot join

  • Pregnancy
  • History of or current psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder
  • Severe borderline personality disorder
  • Diagnosis of Intellectual Disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Primary psychiatric condition other than MDD requiring treatment except stable comorbid anxiety disorder
  • Current moderate or severe substance use disorder or demonstrating signs of acute substance withdrawal
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  • Urine screening test positive for illicit substances
  • Acute suicide risk based on clinical judgement or a suicide attempt within the past 6 months
  • Any history of ECT (greater than 8 sessions) without meeting responder criteria
  • Recent (within 4 weeks of any clinical effect) or concurrent use of rapid acting antidepressant agent (i.e., ketamine or a course of ECT)
  • History of significant neurologic disease, including dementia, Parkinson's or Huntington's disease, brain tumor, seizure disorder, subdural hematoma, multiple sclerosis, or history of significant head trauma
  • Untreated or insufficiently treated endocrine disorder.
  • Contraindication to receiving rTMS (e.g., metal in head, history of seizure, known brain lesion)
  • Contraindication to MRI (ferromagnetic metal in their body)
  • Treatment with an investigational drug or other intervention within the study period
  • Depth-adjusted aiTBS treatment dose > 65% maximum stimulator output (MSO)
  • Unstable symptoms between screening and baseline as defined by a ≥ 30% change in MADRS score.
  • Any other condition deemed by the PD to interfere with the study or increase risk to the participant

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine

    Stanford, California, 94305

Other trials in United States

About this study

This study will investigate the anti-anhedonic efficacy of a novel neurostimulation strategy termed accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (aiTBS) in participants with treatment resistant depression (TRD).

Read the detailed description

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an established therapy for treatment-resistant depression. The approved method for treatment is 10Hz stimulation for 40 min over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC). This methodology has been effective in real world situations. The limitations of this approach include the duration of the treatment (approximately 40 minutes per treatment session, 5 days per week, for 4-8 weeks). Recently, the investigators have pursued modifying the treatment parameters to reduce treatment times with an accelerated treatment paradigm. This study aims to further study the accelerated protocol and examine changes in neuroimaging biomarkers.

Being tested
Active TBS-DLPFC, Active TBS-DMPFC, Sham TBS-DLPFC or DMPFC
Keywords
transcranial magnetic stimulation, theta burst
Medical subject headings
Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Active TBS-DLPFCDevice

    Participants in the active stimulation group will receive intermittent TBS to left DLPFC. The L-DLPFC will be targeted utilizing the Localite neuronavigation system. Stimulation intensity will be standardized at 90% of RMT and adjusted to the skull to cortical surface distance (see Nahas 2004).

    Stimulation will be delivered to the L-DLPFC using a MagPro TMS system (MagVenture, Denmark).

  • Active TBS-DMPFCDevice

    Participants in the active stimulation group will receive intermittent TBS to DMPFC. The DMPFC will be targeted utilizing the Localite neuronavigation system. Stimulation intensity will be standardized at 90% of RMT and adjusted to the skull to cortical surface distance (see Nahas 2004).

    Stimulation will be delivered to the DMPFC using a MagPro TMS system (MagVenture, Denmark).

  • Sham TBS-DLPFC or DMPFCDevice

    The parameters in the sham arm will be as above with the internal randomization of the device internally switching to sham in a blinded fashion.

Study groups in NCT05144789
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Active TBS-DLPFCActive comparatorThe active group will receive theta-burst TMS stimulation.
Receives: Device: Active TBS-DLPFC
Active TBS-DMPFCActive comparatorThe active group will receive theta-burst TMS stimulation.
Receives: Device: Active TBS-DMPFC
Sham Comparator: Sham TBS-DLPFC or DMPFCSham comparatorThe sham group will receive sham theta-burst TMS stimulation.
Receives: Device: Sham TBS-DLPFC or DMPFC

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Percentage Change in MADRS Score

    The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) is a 10-item self-survey administered scale, designed to be particularly sensitive to antidepressant treatment effects in patients with major depression. Score range: 0 to 54, higher scores correspond to more severe depressive symptoms.

    Measured: Baseline, immediate post treatment (up to 2 weeks post baseline), 4 weeks and 8 weeks post treatment.

  2. Percentage Change in SHAPS Score

    The Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale is a 14-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure the reduced ability to experience pleasure. Score range: 0 to 14, higher scores indicate higher levels of anhedonia.

    Measured: Baseline, immediate post treatment (up to 2 weeks post baseline), 4 week and 8 week post treatment.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted3 Dec 2021
  2. Study start31 May 2022
  3. Primary completion6 Jun 2025
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2025

Resources

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
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
70 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05144789
Sponsor's protocol ID
63771
Status last verified
Jul 2026
First submitted
16 Nov 2021
Last updated
29 Jul 2026
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • George MS, Lisanby SH, Avery D, McDonald WM, Durkalski V, Pavlicova M, Anderson B, Nahas Z, Bulow P, Zarkowski P, Holtzheimer PE 3rd, Schwartz T, Sackeim HA. Daily left prefrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy for major depressive disorder: a sham-controlled randomized trial. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010 May;67(5):507-16. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.46.

    PubMed 20439832
  • George MS, Wassermann EM, Williams WA, Callahan A, Ketter TA, Basser P, Hallett M, Post RM. Daily repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) improves mood in depression. Neuroreport. 1995 Oct 2;6(14):1853-6. doi: 10.1097/00001756-199510020-00008.

    PubMed 8547583
  • Pascual-Leone A, Rubio B, Pallardo F, Catala MD. Rapid-rate transcranial magnetic stimulation of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in drug-resistant depression. Lancet. 1996 Jul 27;348(9022):233-7. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(96)01219-6.

    PubMed 8684201
  • Chung SW, Hill AT, Rogasch NC, Hoy KE, Fitzgerald PB. Use of theta-burst stimulation in changing excitability of motor cortex: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2016 Apr;63:43-64. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.01.008. Epub 2016 Feb 3.

    PubMed 26850210
  • Jelic MB, Milanovic SD, Filipovic SR. Differential effects of facilitatory and inhibitory theta burst stimulation of the primary motor cortex on motor learning. Clin Neurophysiol. 2015 May;126(5):1016-23. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2014.09.003. Epub 2014 Sep 16.

    PubMed 25281475
  • Chung SW, Hoy KE, Fitzgerald PB. Theta-burst stimulation: a new form of TMS treatment for depression? Depress Anxiety. 2015 Mar;32(3):182-92. doi: 10.1002/da.22335. Epub 2014 Nov 28.

    PubMed 25450537
  • Plewnia C, Pasqualetti P, Grosse S, Schlipf S, Wasserka B, Zwissler B, Fallgatter A. Treatment of major depression with bilateral theta burst stimulation: a randomized controlled pilot trial. J Affect Disord. 2014 Mar;156:219-23. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.12.025. Epub 2013 Dec 28.

    PubMed 24411682
  • Prasser J, Schecklmann M, Poeppl TB, Frank E, Kreuzer PM, Hajak G, Rupprecht R, Landgrebe M, Langguth B. Bilateral prefrontal rTMS and theta burst TMS as an add-on treatment for depression: a randomized placebo controlled trial. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2015 Jan;16(1):57-65. doi: 10.3109/15622975.2014.964768. Epub 2014 Nov 28.

    PubMed 25430687
  • Daskalakis ZJ. Theta-burst transcranial magnetic stimulation in depression: when less may be more. Brain. 2014 Jul;137(Pt 7):1860-2. doi: 10.1093/brain/awu123. Epub 2014 May 15. No abstract available.

    PubMed 24833712
  • Thut G, Pascual-Leone A. A review of combined TMS-EEG studies to characterize lasting effects of repetitive TMS and assess their usefulness in cognitive and clinical neuroscience. Brain Topogr. 2010 Jan;22(4):219-32. doi: 10.1007/s10548-009-0115-4. Epub 2009 Oct 28.

    PubMed 19862614
  • Holtzheimer PE 3rd, McDonald WM, Mufti M, Kelley ME, Quinn S, Corso G, Epstein CM. Accelerated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-resistant depression. Depress Anxiety. 2010 Oct;27(10):960-3. doi: 10.1002/da.20731.

    PubMed 20734360
  • Fung PK, Robinson PA. Neural field theory of synaptic metaplasticity with applications to theta burst stimulation. J Theor Biol. 2014 Jan 7;340:164-76. doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2013.09.021. Epub 2013 Sep 21.

    PubMed 24060620
  • Biswal B, Yetkin FZ, Haughton VM, Hyde JS. Functional connectivity in the motor cortex of resting human brain using echo-planar MRI. Magn Reson Med. 1995 Oct;34(4):537-41. doi: 10.1002/mrm.1910340409.

    PubMed 8524021
  • Greicius MD, Krasnow B, Reiss AL, Menon V. Functional connectivity in the resting brain: a network analysis of the default mode hypothesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Jan 7;100(1):253-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0135058100. Epub 2002 Dec 27.

    PubMed 12506194
  • Fox MD, Snyder AZ, Vincent JL, Corbetta M, Van Essen DC, Raichle ME. The human brain is intrinsically organized into dynamic, anticorrelated functional networks. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Jul 5;102(27):9673-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0504136102. Epub 2005 Jun 23.

    PubMed 15976020

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Active TBS-DLPFC and Active TBS-DMPFC in people with Treatment Resistant Depression, run by Stanford University at 1 site in United States.

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 18 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 29 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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 29 Jul 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?

Percentage Change in MADRS Score (time frame: Baseline, immediate post treatment (up to 2 weeks post baseline), 4 weeks and 8 weeks post treatment.). 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 NCT05144789, which also lists 16 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 29 Jul 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 5 Nov 2026.

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