BehaviorNCT06323057
Modulating Reward Learning Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
A study testing Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortex in people with Behavior, run by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Our specific aim is to examine the effects of single TMS pulse on reward processing during goal-directed behavior. In these experiments the investigators will utilize a scalp-recorded brain oscillation called frontal midline theta that is believed to index the sensitivity of the cingulate cortex to reward feedback. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 55 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Behavior
- What is being tested?
- Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortex
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 36 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 14 Feb 2024to 30 Apr 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
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 55 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Be between the ages of 18 and 55 years old.
- Be in stable mental and physical health.
- If female, test non-pregnant.
- Be willing to provide informed consent.
- Be able to comply with protocol requirements and likely to complete all study procedures.
Who cannot join
- Contraindication to rTMS (history of neurological disorder or seizure, increased intracranial pressure, brain surgery, or head trauma with loss of consciousness for > 15 minutes, implanted electronic device, metal in the head, or pregnancy).
- History of autoimmune, endocrine, viral, or vascular disorder affecting the brain.
- Life time history of mental disorders such as: Bipolar Affective disorder (BPAD), Schizophrenia, Post-traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD) or Dementia or Major Depression.
- uninterruptable central nervous system medication
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Rutgers University - Newark
Newark, New Jersey, 07102
About this study
Our specific aim is to examine the effects of single TMS pulse on reward processing during goal-directed behavior. In these experiments the investigators will utilize a scalp-recorded brain oscillation called frontal midline theta that is believed to index the sensitivity of the cingulate cortex to reward feedback. Here the investigators will asked whether this electrophysiological signal can be modulated up or down using TMS while participants engage in decision making tasks, and if so, whether it would affect the encoding of rewards and subsequent choices during task performance.
Read the detailed description
The design is primarily a randomized control-trial design (2 sessions), testing the effects of single TMS pulse on reward processing during goal-directed behavior tasks. Subjects will be randomly assigned to an peak or trough group. All participants will be asked to complete two TMS sessions within two weeks. For each TMS session, participants will receive either Active TMS or Sham TMS. For each TMS session, the TMS coil will be placed 1cm above the scalp over a left frontal region (electrode location F3). Subjects will be randomly assigned to an active or sham condition for each session. At the start of the first TMS session, participants will be fitted with an EEG cap and engage in a virtual T-maze reward task. The T-maze task will be divided into 30 blocks of trials. For the first block of 10 trials, a single TMS pulse will be delivered over the DLPFC immediately following trial-to-trial feedback and at the desired theta phase. Reward stimulus (apple or orange) will indicate whether the participant will receive 5 or 0 cents on that trial. Immediately following this block, subjects will complete 5 trials with no modulation. This block sequence will repeat for 30 blocks for a total of 300 pulses delivered and 450 T-maze trials completed (duration 15 minutes: 300 TMS trials, 150 no-TMS trials). TMS pulse delivery will be open for 1 second and only 1 pulse will be delivered within this time range. Following the T-maze, participants will engage in the probabilistic selection task. During the learning phase of the PST, subjects will again receive a single TMS pulse at the desired theta phase following feedback onset. A total of 240 pulses will be delivered and 240 learning phase trials will be completed before subjects perform the test phase (duration 15-20 minutes). Identical protocol will be applied to the second Sham session (1-week later). Participants will be debriefed and compensated for their participation.
- Conditions
- Behavior
- Being tested
- Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortex
- Keywords
- transcranial magnetic stimulation, reward processing, EEG, theta
- Medical subject headings
- Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortexDevice
Single pulse TMS will be delivered to the left frontal cortex, and stimulation intensity will be at 110% of resting motor threshold.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Single-pulse Peak Phase TMS | Experimental | Participants will receive a single active TMS pulse during the peak phase target of each task trial and delivered at 110% of participants' resting motor threshold over the predefined frontal target . For the second TMS session, participants will receive single pulse Sham TMS during the peak phase target of each task trial and delivered at 110% of participants' resting motor threshold over the predefined frontal target. Total number of TMS pulse for each session is 520 pulses Receives: Device: Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortex |
| Single-pulse Trough Phase TMS | Experimental | Participants will receive a single active TMS pulse during the trough phase target of each task trial and delivered at 110% of participants' resting motor threshold over the predefined frontal target . For the second TMS session, participants will receive single pulse Sham TMS during the peak phase target of each task trial and delivered at 110% of participants' resting motor threshold over the predefined frontal target. Total number of TMS pulse for each session is 520 pulses Receives: Device: Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortex |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Event-related Brain Oscillation: Frontal Midline Theta
Frontal-midline theta (FMT: 4-8 hz) is a scalp recorded brain oscillation sensitive to the processing of reward stimulus presented during decision making tasks. FMT will be measured during the presentation of the reward stimulus (Reward, No-reward) during task performance. A time-frequency analysis will be used to measure FMT power for each electrode by averaging the single-trial EEG according to feedback type (reward and no-reward). The size of the FMT will be determined by identifying the maximum amplitude of the FMT response and evaluated at frontal electrodes. The FMT will be measured for each proposed phase target group across active and sham conditions, and used to measure the efficacy of the TMS target to modulate brain activity associated with reward processing.
Measured: [Time Frame: Day 0 (day of testing)]
Reward learning
Decision making behavioral measures of interest consist of learning and test phase accuracy, reaction time, and post-error reaction time (ΔRT, subsequent negative feedback trial RT minus the current trial RT, with higher values reflecting greater adaption or slowing).
Measured: [Time Frame: Day 0 (day of testing)]
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted21 Mar 2024
- Study start14 Feb 2024
- Primary completion30 Apr 2026
- Study completion30 Apr 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for 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
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 36 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Travis Baker, PhD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06323057
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Pro2022000444_CLFMT
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 14 Mar 2024
- Last updated
- 4 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- No: Data may be uploaded to an open source framework. All data will be deidentified.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Modulating Reward Learning Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06323057
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Pro2022000444_CLFMT
- Conditions
- Behavior
- Keywords
- transcranial magnetic stimulation, reward processing, EEG, theta
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 36 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 14 Feb 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Apr 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 21 Mar 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.
Our specific aim is to examine the effects of single TMS pulse on reward processing during goal-directed behavior. In these experiments the investigators will utilize a scalp-recorded brain oscillation called frontal midline theta that is believed to index the sensitivity of the cingulate cortex to reward feedback. Here the investigators will asked whether this electrophysiological signal can be modulated up or down using TMS while participants engage in decision making tasks, and if so, whether it would affect the encoding of rewards and subsequent choices during task performance.
Detailed description
The design is primarily a randomized control-trial design (2 sessions), testing the effects of single TMS pulse on reward processing during goal-directed behavior tasks. Subjects will be randomly assigned to an peak or trough group. All participants will be asked to complete two TMS sessions within two weeks. For each TMS session, participants will receive either Active TMS or Sham TMS. For each TMS session, the TMS coil will be placed 1cm above the scalp over a left frontal region (electrode location F3). Subjects will be randomly assigned to an active or sham condition for each session. At the start of the first TMS session, participants will be fitted with an EEG cap and engage in a virtual T-maze reward task. The T-maze task will be divided into 30 blocks of trials. For the first block of 10 trials, a single TMS pulse will be delivered over the DLPFC immediately following trial-to-trial feedback and at the desired theta phase. Reward stimulus (apple or orange) will indicate whether the participant will receive 5 or 0 cents on that trial. Immediately following this block, subjects will complete 5 trials with no modulation. This block sequence will repeat for 30 blocks for a total of 300 pulses delivered and 450 T-maze trials completed (duration 15 minutes: 300 TMS trials, 150 no-TMS trials). TMS pulse delivery will be open for 1 second and only 1 pulse will be delivered within this time range. Following the T-maze, participants will engage in the probabilistic selection task. During the learning phase of the PST, subjects will again receive a single TMS pulse at the desired theta phase following feedback onset. A total of 240 pulses will be delivered and 240 learning phase trials will be completed before subjects perform the test phase (duration 15-20 minutes). Identical protocol will be applied to the second Sham session (1-week later). Participants will be debriefed and compensated for their participation.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Single-pulse Peak Phase TMS | Experimental | Device: Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortexParticipants will receive a single active TMS pulse during the peak phase target of each task trial and delivered at 110% of participants' resting motor threshold over the predefined frontal target . For the second TMS session, participants will receive single pulse Sham TMS during the peak phase target of each task trial and delivered at 110% of participants' resting motor threshold over the predefined frontal target. Total number of TMS pulse for each session is 520 pulses |
| Single-pulse Trough Phase TMS | Experimental | Device: Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortexParticipants will receive a single active TMS pulse during the trough phase target of each task trial and delivered at 110% of participants' resting motor threshold over the predefined frontal target . For the second TMS session, participants will receive single pulse Sham TMS during the peak phase target of each task trial and delivered at 110% of participants' resting motor threshold over the predefined frontal target. Total number of TMS pulse for each session is 520 pulses |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 55 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Be between the ages of 18 and 55 years old.
- Be in stable mental and physical health.
- If female, test non-pregnant.
- Be willing to provide informed consent.
- Be able to comply with protocol requirements and likely to complete all study procedures.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Contraindication to rTMS (history of neurological disorder or seizure, increased intracranial pressure, brain surgery, or head trauma with loss of consciousness for > 15 minutes, implanted electronic device, metal in the head, or pregnancy).
- History of autoimmune, endocrine, viral, or vascular disorder affecting the brain.
- Life time history of mental disorders such as: Bipolar Affective disorder (BPAD), Schizophrenia, Post-traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD) or Dementia or Major Depression.
- uninterruptable central nervous system medication
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortexSingle pulse TMS will be delivered to the left frontal cortex, and stimulation intensity will be at 110% of resting motor threshold. | Device | Single-pulse Peak Phase TMS, Single-pulse Trough Phase TMS |
Primary outcome
Event-related Brain Oscillation: Frontal Midline Theta
Time frame: [Time Frame: Day 0 (day of testing)]
Frontal-midline theta (FMT: 4-8 hz) is a scalp recorded brain oscillation sensitive to the processing of reward stimulus presented during decision making tasks. FMT will be measured during the presentation of the reward stimulus (Reward, No-reward) during task performance. A time-frequency analysis will be used to measure FMT power for each electrode by averaging the single-trial EEG according to feedback type (reward and no-reward). The size of the FMT will be determined by identifying the maximum amplitude of the FMT response and evaluated at frontal electrodes. The FMT will be measured for each proposed phase target group across active and sham conditions, and used to measure the efficacy of the TMS target to modulate brain activity associated with reward processing.
Reward learning
Time frame: [Time Frame: Day 0 (day of testing)]
Decision making behavioral measures of interest consist of learning and test phase accuracy, reaction time, and post-error reaction time (ΔRT, subsequent negative feedback trial RT minus the current trial RT, with higher values reflecting greater adaption or slowing).
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Data may be uploaded to an open source framework. All data will be deidentified.
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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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Single pulse TMS to the frontal cortex in people with Behavior, run by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 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 5 inclusion and 4 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 4 Sep 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. 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?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
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?
Event-related Brain Oscillation: Frontal Midline Theta (time frame: [Time Frame: Day 0 (day of testing)]). 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 4 Sep 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 28 Oct 2026.