Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)NCT07401225
TMS for PTSD in Youth
A study testing MagPro R30 with robotic arm in people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), run by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to test whether transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is an acceptable and helpful treatment for ongoing symptoms of posttraumatic stress syndrome disorder (PTSD) in 12-20 year olds. Ongoing PTSD refers to symptoms that continue after completing trauma-focused psychotherapy. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 12 to 20 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- What is being tested?
- MagPro R30 with robotic arm
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 20 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 9 May 2026to 31 Aug 2027
- 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 12 to 20 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- Males and females; Age 12-20
- Have previously completed at least 9 sessions of trauma-focused therapy in our clinical trial or in the community
- Have current self-reported symptom score of 20 or greater on the UCLA PTSD Reaction index
- Willing to attend 10 TMS treatment sessions within a 30-day period
- Fluent in English
Who cannot join
- History of seizures
- History of head injury with loss of consciousness and concussive sequelae
- Brain abnormality such as tumor or other observable abnormality
- Currently receiving psychotherapy or TMS treatment
- Currently pregnant
- MRI contraindications (metal in body, orthodontic braces)
- Diagnosis of bipolar 1 or a psychotic disorder
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
UT Health Department of Psychiatry
San Antonio, Texas, 78229
Amy Garrett, PhD, 210-567-8189, garrettas@uthscsa.edu
About this study
Official title: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as Treatment for Persistent PTSD in Texas Youth
The purpose of this study is to test whether transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is an acceptable and helpful treatment for ongoing symptoms of posttraumatic stress syndrome disorder (PTSD) in 12-20 year olds. Ongoing PTSD refers to symptoms that continue after completing trauma-focused psychotherapy. About 1 in 4 patients need additional help to overcome PTSD after completing psychotherapy. Currently, scientists do not know the best way to help adolescents with persistent PTSD, and this study will test TMS as a possible treatment, and hopefully lead to future studies including more people.
Read the detailed description
Trauma is a common occurrence among youth. Almost 60% of American youths experience a traumatic event before age 18, such as physical or sexual abuse, sudden loss of caregivers, or witnessing violence in the community or the home. Distress after a significantly traumatic event is to be expected, but for some youths, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) linger for months or years, and can become chronic if left untreated. Symptoms of PTSD can include upsetting memories, avoidance of reminders, and emotional numbing, and other symptoms. These symptoms can create difficulties for family relationships, friendships, and schoolwork. Currently, the most effective treatment for PTSD is talk therapy (trauma-focused psychotherapy). However, sometimes young people continue to have symptoms of PTSD after completing talk therapy, and it is currently not known the best way to help with these persistent symptoms.
In this study, the total length of time participants will be involved in the study is about 16-weeks. During that time, participants will be asked to attend approximately 6 research visits and 10 treatment visits, for a total of 16 visits. The 6 research visits include a screening visit, an interview visit, 2 MRI visits, and 2 follow-up visits. The screening, interview, and follow-up visits can be completed virtually, over zoom. The study will include 2 MRI visits and 10 treatment visits. Virtual follow-up visits will be conducted 1 and 3 months after completion of treatment and will include interviews and questionnaires about participants symptoms.
- Conditions
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Being tested
- MagPro R30 with robotic arm
- Keywords
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
- Medical subject headings
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
MagPro R30 with robotic armDevice
TMS will be delivered to the right anterior dorsolateral frontal cortex. The accelerated protocol consists of 1,800 TMS pulses per session, delivered at intensity ranges designed to deliver depth-corrected E-fields of 80-95 volts/meter. The exact intensity will be determined when the participant's treatment plan is developed. Once a patient's TMS treatment plan has been created, it will be used for every treatment session for that participant.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| TMS treatment group | Experimental | Each treatment visit will take about 1.5 hours. Participants will receive up to 4 TMS treatment sessions during the visit, with each session lasting about 10-minutes. After the TMS sessions, there will be a brief visit with a psychotherapist. Receives: Device: MagPro R30 with robotic arm |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Side Effects of TMS treatment
number of side effects reported per participant
Measured: Day 1 of treatment through Day 30
Number of Adverse Events
Number of adverse events experienced by study participants through the treatment phase of the study
Measured: Day 1 of treatment through Day 30
Completion rate of Treatment
Number of participants that completed the TMS treatment
Measured: Day 1 of treatment through Day 30
Secondary outcomes (2)
Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5)(CAPS-5)
The CAPS-5 score range for total symptom severity is 0 to 80, calculated by summing the severity ratings (0-4) for 20 PTSD symptoms, with higher scores indicating greater severity; scores below 31-33 often suggest subclinical or non-diagnostic levels, while scores above this range can indicate probable PTSD.
Measured: Baseline to 90 days
Assessment of Depression using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Patients rate 9 common depressive symptoms (e.g., feeling down, trouble sleeping, low energy, poor appetite, concentration issues, feeling bad about self, restlessness/slowed down, thoughts of being better off dead/hurting self).
Scoring: Each symptom gets 0-3 points, totaling 0-27. A lower score indicates less depression.
Measured: Baseline to Day 30
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Feb 2026
- Study start9 May 2026
- Primary completion1 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Aug 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Studies 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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Model description
- Open label single group design
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium: TCMHCC
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Amy Garrett, PhD, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- Investigators
- Amy S Garrett, PhD, Principal investigator, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07401225
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00002052
- Other IDs
- NECMHR02
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 3 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 13 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- Yes
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided: requests for data will be considered on a case-by-case basis
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as Treatment for Persistent PTSD in Texas Youth
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07401225
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY00002052
- Conditions
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Keywords
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 20 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium: TCMHCC
- Study start
- 9 May 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Feb 2026 (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 test whether transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is an acceptable and helpful treatment for ongoing symptoms of posttraumatic stress syndrome disorder (PTSD) in 12-20 year olds. Ongoing PTSD refers to symptoms that continue after completing trauma-focused psychotherapy. About 1 in 4 patients need additional help to overcome PTSD after completing psychotherapy. Currently, scientists do not know the best way to help adolescents with persistent PTSD, and this study will test TMS as a possible treatment, and hopefully lead to future studies including more people.
Detailed description
Trauma is a common occurrence among youth. Almost 60% of American youths experience a traumatic event before age 18, such as physical or sexual abuse, sudden loss of caregivers, or witnessing violence in the community or the home. Distress after a significantly traumatic event is to be expected, but for some youths, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) linger for months or years, and can become chronic if left untreated. Symptoms of PTSD can include upsetting memories, avoidance of reminders, and emotional numbing, and other symptoms. These symptoms can create difficulties for family relationships, friendships, and schoolwork. Currently, the most effective treatment for PTSD is talk therapy (trauma-focused psychotherapy). However, sometimes young people continue to have symptoms of PTSD after completing talk therapy, and it is currently not known the best way to help with these persistent symptoms.
In this study, the total length of time participants will be involved in the study is about 16-weeks. During that time, participants will be asked to attend approximately 6 research visits and 10 treatment visits, for a total of 16 visits. The 6 research visits include a screening visit, an interview visit, 2 MRI visits, and 2 follow-up visits. The screening, interview, and follow-up visits can be completed virtually, over zoom. The study will include 2 MRI visits and 10 treatment visits. Virtual follow-up visits will be conducted 1 and 3 months after completion of treatment and will include interviews and questionnaires about participants symptoms.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
- Model description
- Open label single group design
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| TMS treatment group | Experimental | Device: MagPro R30 with robotic armEach treatment visit will take about 1.5 hours. Participants will receive up to 4 TMS treatment sessions during the visit, with each session lasting about 10-minutes. After the TMS sessions, there will be a brief visit with a psychotherapist. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 12 to 20 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Males and females; Age 12-20
- Have previously completed at least 9 sessions of trauma-focused therapy in our clinical trial or in the community
- Have current self-reported symptom score of 20 or greater on the UCLA PTSD Reaction index
- Willing to attend 10 TMS treatment sessions within a 30-day period
- Fluent in English
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- History of seizures
- History of head injury with loss of consciousness and concussive sequelae
- Brain abnormality such as tumor or other observable abnormality
- Currently receiving psychotherapy or TMS treatment
- Currently pregnant
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 |
|---|---|---|
| MagPro R30 with robotic armTMS will be delivered to the right anterior dorsolateral frontal cortex. The accelerated protocol consists of 1,800 TMS pulses per session, delivered at intensity ranges designed to deliver depth-corrected E-fields of 80-95 volts/meter. The exact intensity will be determined when the participant's treatment plan is developed. Once a patient's TMS treatment plan has been created, it will be used for every treatment session for that participant. | Device | TMS treatment group |
Primary outcome
Side Effects of TMS treatment
Time frame: Day 1 of treatment through Day 30
number of side effects reported per participant
Number of Adverse Events
Time frame: Day 1 of treatment through Day 30
Number of adverse events experienced by study participants through the treatment phase of the study
Completion rate of Treatment
Time frame: Day 1 of treatment through Day 30
Number of participants that completed the TMS treatment
2 secondary outcomes
Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5)(CAPS-5)
Time frame: Baseline to 90 days
Assessment of Depression using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Time frame: Baseline to Day 30
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 13 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided. requests for data will be considered on a case-by-case basis
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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.
Amy S Garrett, PhD principal investigator
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing MagPro R30 with robotic arm in people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), run by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 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 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 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. 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?
Contact Amy S Garrett, PhD (210-567-8189, GarrettAS@uthscsa.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Side Effects of TMS treatment (time frame: Day 1 of treatment through Day 30). The study lists 3 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 13 Jul 2026.