Transcranial Magnetic StimulationNCT06919172
iTBS/fMRI Study of Apex Control
A study testing transcranial magnetic stimulation in people with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, run by Florida State University at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
The objective of this study is to examine the effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 30 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
- What is being tested?
- transcranial magnetic stimulation
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 59 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 6 Jan 2025to 9 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 30 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Between the ages of 18 and 30
- Right-handed
- Native English speaker or fluent by the age of 6
Who cannot join
- History of psychiatric disorders
- History of neurological disorders
- Receiving medications for psychiatric or neurological disorders
- Familial history of epilepsy
- Taking any drugs or medications that are pro-epileptic
- Tinnitus
- Women who are pregnant
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
United States2 sites
Florida State University Psychology Department Building
Tallahassee, Florida, 32306
FSU MRI Facility
Tallahassee, Florida, 32306
About this study
The objective of this study is to examine the effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex.
Read the detailed description
The Comprehensive Control Task (CCT) was designed to examine hierarchical control in a single, well-controlled factorial task. On each trial, participants view a letter surrounded by a colored shape at a particular screen location. Color cues the relevant feature, letter or location, for a block of trials. The first trial of a block requires a decision of whether the stimulus is the first position of a circular sequence (sequence start). Subsequent trials require a decision of whether the viewed stimulus follows the previous stimulus in a circular sequence (sequence 1-back). The letter sequence (T-A-B-L-E-T) and spatial sequence (Top-Bottom Right-Left-Right-Bottom Left-Top) are difficulty-matched.
Shape cues the task to perform. Squares indicate the standard baseline task, and each block begins and ends with baseline trials. Different shapes indicate sub-tasks. In Switching blocks, shape-switches (e.g. from square to circle or circle to square) cue the sequence start task. Shape-repeats cue the sequence 1-back task. In Planning blocks, triangle shapes indicate that the stimulus can be ignored (automatic "no" response). All the while, the last square-shaped stimulus must be retained as a reference for the next square-shaped stimulus. Finally, in Dual blocks, diamond shapes indicate switching (sequence start) and also planning. The reversion back to square shapes requires sequence matching to the distal, previous square.
The design is factorial with stimulus-domain x contextual control x temporal control orthogonally manipulated. Full details of the CCT have been previously described in published work.
The focus in this study will be comparison of MFG-TMS, IPL-TMS, and S1-TMS in an interleaved fMRI-TMS-fMRI design. The logic is to test the apical status of the MFG/IPL through the extent to which TMS impacts other PFC/PPC areas and behavior.
Each experiment will begin with 1 session of the CCT with fMRI to localize TMS targets. Each participant will then perform 3 counter-balanced sessions wherein a different site will be targeted by TMS followed immediately by fMRI on the CCT.
- Conditions
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
- Being tested
- transcranial magnetic stimulation
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
transcranial magnetic stimulationDevice
Transcranial magnetic stimulation delivered to the scalp targeting specific brain structures via stereotactic guidance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| MFG-TMS | Experimental | Transcranial magnetic stimulation to the middle frontal gyrus. 600 pulses delivered in 50 Hz bursts every 5 Hz for 2 seconds repeated every 10 seconds at 80% of resting motor threshold. Receives: Device: transcranial magnetic stimulation |
| IPL-TMS | Experimental | Transcranial magnetic stimulation to the inferior parietal lobule. 600 pulses delivered in 50 Hz bursts every 5 Hz for 2 seconds repeated every 10 seconds at 80% of resting motor threshold. Receives: Device: transcranial magnetic stimulation |
| S1-TMS | Active comparator | Transcranial magnetic stimulation to the primary somatosensory cortex. 600 pulses delivered in 50 Hz bursts every 5 Hz for 2 seconds repeated every 10 seconds at 80% of resting motor threshold. Receives: Device: transcranial magnetic stimulation |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in PFC-PPC activation
blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal in areas of the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) [note, this measure has no units]
Measured: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
Change in PFC-PPC effective connectivity
effective connectivity among areas of the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex in the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) [note, this measure has no units]
Measured: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
Secondary outcomes (4)
Change in contextual control speed
behavioral performance (reaction time in milliseconds) on conditions involving contextual control in the comprehensive control task
Measured: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
Change in contextual control accuracy
behavioral performance (reaction time in milliseconds) on conditions involving contextual control in the comprehensive control task
Measured: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
Change in temporal control speed
behavioral performance (reaction time in milliseconds) on conditions involving temporal control in the comprehensive control task
Measured: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
Change in temporal control accuracy
behavioral performance (percent correct) on conditions involving temporal control in the comprehensive control task
Measured: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted9 Apr 2025
- Study start6 Jan 2025
- Primary completion9 Mar 2026
- Study completion9 Apr 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Transcranial Magnetic StimulationStudies 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
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 59 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Florida State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Derek Nee, Florida State University
- Investigators
- Derek Nee, PhD, Principal investigator, Florida State University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06919172
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 0000033961
- Other IDs
- R01MH121509
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 2 Apr 2025
- Last updated
- 17 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Behavioral and imaging data will be shared
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- iTBS/fMRI Study of Apex Control
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06919172
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 0000033961
- Conditions
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 59 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Florida State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Study start
- 6 Jan 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 9 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 9 Apr 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 9 Apr 2025 (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 objective of this study is to examine the effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex.
Detailed description
The Comprehensive Control Task (CCT) was designed to examine hierarchical control in a single, well-controlled factorial task. On each trial, participants view a letter surrounded by a colored shape at a particular screen location. Color cues the relevant feature, letter or location, for a block of trials. The first trial of a block requires a decision of whether the stimulus is the first position of a circular sequence (sequence start). Subsequent trials require a decision of whether the viewed stimulus follows the previous stimulus in a circular sequence (sequence 1-back). The letter sequence (T-A-B-L-E-T) and spatial sequence (Top-Bottom Right-Left-Right-Bottom Left-Top) are difficulty-matched.
Shape cues the task to perform. Squares indicate the standard baseline task, and each block begins and ends with baseline trials. Different shapes indicate sub-tasks. In Switching blocks, shape-switches (e.g. from square to circle or circle to square) cue the sequence start task. Shape-repeats cue the sequence 1-back task. In Planning blocks, triangle shapes indicate that the stimulus can be ignored (automatic "no" response). All the while, the last square-shaped stimulus must be retained as a reference for the next square-shaped stimulus. Finally, in Dual blocks, diamond shapes indicate switching (sequence start) and also planning. The reversion back to square shapes requires sequence matching to the distal, previous square.
The design is factorial with stimulus-domain x contextual control x temporal control orthogonally manipulated. Full details of the CCT have been previously described in published work.
The focus in this study will be comparison of MFG-TMS, IPL-TMS, and S1-TMS in an interleaved fMRI-TMS-fMRI design. The logic is to test the apical status of the MFG/IPL through the extent to which TMS impacts other PFC/PPC areas and behavior.
Each experiment will begin with 1 session of the CCT with fMRI to localize TMS targets. Each participant will then perform 3 counter-balanced sessions wherein a different site will be targeted by TMS followed immediately by fMRI on the CCT.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| MFG-TMS | Experimental | Device: transcranial magnetic stimulationTranscranial magnetic stimulation to the middle frontal gyrus. 600 pulses delivered in 50 Hz bursts every 5 Hz for 2 seconds repeated every 10 seconds at 80% of resting motor threshold. |
| IPL-TMS | Experimental | Device: transcranial magnetic stimulationTranscranial magnetic stimulation to the inferior parietal lobule. 600 pulses delivered in 50 Hz bursts every 5 Hz for 2 seconds repeated every 10 seconds at 80% of resting motor threshold. |
| S1-TMS | Active comparator | Device: transcranial magnetic stimulationTranscranial magnetic stimulation to the primary somatosensory cortex. 600 pulses delivered in 50 Hz bursts every 5 Hz for 2 seconds repeated every 10 seconds at 80% of resting motor threshold. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 30 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Between the ages of 18 and 30
- Right-handed
- Native English speaker or fluent by the age of 6
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- History of psychiatric disorders
- History of neurological disorders
- Receiving medications for psychiatric or neurological disorders
- Familial history of epilepsy
- Taking any drugs or medications that are pro-epileptic
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 |
|---|---|---|
| transcranial magnetic stimulationTranscranial magnetic stimulation delivered to the scalp targeting specific brain structures via stereotactic guidance. | Device | IPL-TMS, MFG-TMS, S1-TMS |
Primary outcome
Change in PFC-PPC activation
Time frame: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal in areas of the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) [note, this measure has no units]
Change in PFC-PPC effective connectivity
Time frame: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
effective connectivity among areas of the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortex in the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) [note, this measure has no units]
4 secondary outcomes
Change in contextual control speed
Time frame: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
Change in contextual control accuracy
Time frame: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
Change in temporal control speed
Time frame: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
Change in temporal control accuracy
Time frame: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after intervention
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 17 Jun 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Behavioral and imaging data will be shared
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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.
Derek Nee, PhD principal investigator
Florida State University
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing transcranial magnetic stimulation in people with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, run by Florida State University at 2 sites 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 3 inclusion and 7 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 17 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites 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?
Change in PFC-PPC activation (time frame: baseline, pre-intervention and immediately after 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 17 Jun 2026.