Social Avoidant BehaviorNCT06274112
Using TMS to Understand Neural Processes of Social Motivation
A study testing TMS in people with Social Avoidant Behavior and Major Depressive Disorder, run by Auburn University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to better understand the neural circuits associated with social motivation. Participant includes four study visits each that range from 1.5 - 3.0 hours in duration over approximately a one month period. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 25 to 50 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Social Avoidant Behavior, Major Depressive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder
- What is being tested?
- TMS
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 30 Sep 2025to 31 Jul 2029
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 25 to 50 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- A diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder OR a diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder (assessed/confirmed at screening visit).
- Scoring above clinical threshold on a measure of social avoidant behavior (assessed/confirmed at phone screen).
Who cannot join
- Unstable psychotropic medication regimen (i.e., changes in psychotropic medication or dosage in past 3 months).
- Current or lifetime diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder.
- A diagnosis of substance use disorder within past 12 months.
- A diagnosis of psychotic-spectrum disorder such as Schizophrenia.
- Pregnancy or probable pregnancy.
- Medical illness or medical treatment that would preclude or inhibit study participation.
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- Neurological disorder associated with brain damage.
- History of seizures or head trauma with loss of consciousness > 5 minutes.
- Family history of epilepsy or personal epilepsy/seizures
- Ferromagnetic implants or ferrmagnetic objects within body (e.g., pacemaker).
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama, 36849
Travis Evans, PhD, 3348444550, tce0018@auburn.edu
About this study
Official title: Personalized Neuromodulation Targeting Dysregulated Motivational Responses Underlying Social Avoidance Behavior
The purpose of this study is to use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to better understand the neural circuits associated with social motivation.
Participant includes four study visits each that range from 1.5 - 3.0 hours in duration over approximately a one month period. The first study visit involves answering survey questions, a clinical interview, and computer tasks. The second study visit involves a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, computer tasks, and a brief TMS protocol. The second and third study visits involve a full session of TMS followed by an MRI scan and computer tasks.
Adults in the Auburn/Opelika area and surrounding areas who avoid social situations, experience symptoms of depression or social anxiety, and are between 25 years old and 50 years old are eligible to participate.
- Being tested
- TMS
- Medical subject headings
- Depressive Disorder, Major, Phobia, Social
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
TMSDevice
TMS will be administered using a Cool B-65 coil to a personalized right dlPFC region.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| TMS A | Experimental | Active continuous thetaburst stimulation administered over right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 40 seconds (600 pulses total) Receives: Device: TMS |
| TMS B | Sham comparator | Sham continuous thetaburst stimulation administered over right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 40 seconds (600 pulses total) Receives: Device: TMS |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Social motivation
Motivational responses to facial expressions as measured by the Social Approach Avoidance Paradigm (SAAP; Evans, Esterman, \& Britton, 2022). In the SAAP, participants self-report how much they would like to approach or avoid emotional facial expressions.
Measured: Immediately post-intervention
Neural circuit function
Brain connectivity during motivational responses to facial expression during the Social Approach-Avoidance Paradigm (SAAP; Evans, Esterman, \& Britton, 2022) and during resting state conditions. In the SAAP, participants self-report how much they would like to approach or avoid emotional facial expressions. During resting state conditions, participants simply lie still with their eyes open without completing any type of task.
Measured: Immediately post-intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted23 Feb 2024
- Study start30 Sep 2025
- Primary completion31 Jul 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Jul 2029 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Social Avoidant BehaviorStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- All participants will receive each dose of TMS in a counterbalanced order (AB or BA)
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Auburn University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Travis Evans, Auburn University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06274112
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1K23MH135222
- Status last verified
- Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 8 Feb 2024
- Last updated
- 3 Mar 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 3 Mar 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Personalized Neuromodulation Targeting Dysregulated Motivational Responses Underlying Social Avoidance Behavior
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06274112
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 1K23MH135222
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Auburn UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 30 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Jul 2029 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Jul 2029 (estimated)
- First posted
- 23 Feb 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this study is to use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to better understand the neural circuits associated with social motivation.
Participant includes four study visits each that range from 1.5 - 3.0 hours in duration over approximately a one month period. The first study visit involves answering survey questions, a clinical interview, and computer tasks. The second study visit involves a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, computer tasks, and a brief TMS protocol. The second and third study visits involve a full session of TMS followed by an MRI scan and computer tasks.
Adults in the Auburn/Opelika area and surrounding areas who avoid social situations, experience symptoms of depression or social anxiety, and are between 25 years old and 50 years old are eligible to participate.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- All participants will receive each dose of TMS in a counterbalanced order (AB or BA)
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| TMS A | Experimental | Device: TMSActive continuous thetaburst stimulation administered over right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 40 seconds (600 pulses total) |
| TMS B | Sham comparator | Device: TMSSham continuous thetaburst stimulation administered over right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 40 seconds (600 pulses total) |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 25 to 50 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- A diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder OR a diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder (assessed/confirmed at screening visit).
- Scoring above clinical threshold on a measure of social avoidant behavior (assessed/confirmed at phone screen).
Key exclusion criteria (10 listed)
- Unstable psychotropic medication regimen (i.e., changes in psychotropic medication or dosage in past 3 months).
- Current or lifetime diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder.
- A diagnosis of substance use disorder within past 12 months.
- A diagnosis of psychotic-spectrum disorder such as Schizophrenia.
- Pregnancy or probable pregnancy.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| TMSTMS will be administered using a Cool B-65 coil to a personalized right dlPFC region. | Device | TMS A, TMS B |
Primary outcome
Social motivation
Time frame: Immediately post-intervention
Motivational responses to facial expressions as measured by the Social Approach Avoidance Paradigm (SAAP; Evans, Esterman, \& Britton, 2022). In the SAAP, participants self-report how much they would like to approach or avoid emotional facial expressions.
Neural circuit function
Time frame: Immediately post-intervention
Brain connectivity during motivational responses to facial expression during the Social Approach-Avoidance Paradigm (SAAP; Evans, Esterman, \& Britton, 2022) and during resting state conditions. In the SAAP, participants self-report how much they would like to approach or avoid emotional facial expressions. During resting state conditions, participants simply lie still with their eyes open without completing any type of task.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 3 Mar 2026.
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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.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing TMS in people with Social Avoidant Behavior and Major Depressive Disorder, run by Auburn 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 2 inclusion and 10 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Mar 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Social motivation (time frame: Immediately post-intervention). 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?
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 3 Mar 2026.