Concurrent fMRI-guided rTMS and Cognitive Therapy for the Treatment of Major Depressive Episodes
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03289923. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment for depression. It stimulates the brain. Researchers want to see if using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans helps locate the best area for rTMS in each person. They also want to find other ways to make it more effective. Objective: To study the effects of combining MRI- guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and talk therapy on the brain in people with depression. Eligibility: Adults ages 18-75 with a major depressive disorder and current depression. If taking an antidepressant, should have been doing so for at least 4 weeks. Design: Participants will be screened with medical and psychiatric history, psychiatric evaluation, physical exam, and blood and urine tests. Phase 1 is 1-4 visits in 1 week. Participants will have: * Brain MRI. Participants will lie on a table in a scanner. * Questions about their medical history and psychology symptoms * Tests of mood and thinking * Tests of brain activity. Participants may do tasks during these tests: * A cone with magnetic detectors is put on the head. * A cap with electrodes is put on the scalp. * TMS. A brief electrical current passes through a wire coil on the scalp. * A metal disk will be placed on the arm. A nerve will be stimulated with a small electrical shock. Phase 2 is about 6 to 7 weeks. * There will be 30 daily sessions of combined therapy and repetitive TMS (rTMS) for 6 weeks. * Participants will receive rTMS and another therapy by computer. * For rTMS, repeated pulses will pass through the coil. * This is followed by up to 3 additional visits, when: * Participants will repeat Phase 1 tests * Participants will rate their depression symptoms. Phase 3 is 3 visits over 3 months. Participants will rate their depression symptoms and repeat some of the previous questionnaires and tests of mood and thinking.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT03289923
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Enrollment
- 32 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 18 Years to 75 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- May 16, 2018
- Primary completion
- Nov 19, 2025
- Completion
- Nov 19, 2025
- Last update posted
- Feb 10, 2026
2018 – 2025
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health Clinical Center | Bethesda | Maryland | 20892 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03289923, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Feb 10, 2026 · Synced Sep 17, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT03289923 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.