Brain Stimulation for Working Memory Deficits in Adolescents With ADHD
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT03480737. 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.
Official title
Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation for Working Memory Deficits in Adolescents With ADHD
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
Working memory (WM) is the foundational cognitive control process of holding information 'in mind' to execute goal-directed behaviors. WM deficits are an established component of ADHD. Despite being one of the strongest predictors of poor clinical and functional outcomes in pediatric mental health, there remains a dearth of available treatments for WM deficits. Non-invasive brain stimulation hold tremendous promise in transforming psychiatry, as it takes a "brain-first" approach to treatment. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is the known structural foundation of WM, and the interaction between slow and fast brain waves (i.e., "theta-gamma coupling \[TGC\]") is a neural, functional foundation of WM. Thus, the DLPFC and TGC are potential brain-based targets for the modulation of WM with brain stimulation. Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is a novel paradigm that applies a three-minute dose of stimulation to the DLPFC at an intensity that directly mimics TGC dynamics. The objective of this study is to test whether iTBS can enhance dysfunctional brain activity that causes working memory deficits. iTBS will be tested compared to standard or traditional transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), called 10 Hz TMS. It will also be compared to sham or fake TMS. Each participant receives a single session of each of these types of TMS. EEG will record neural activity during a working memory test immediately before and after each TMS session. If this study shows TMS can enhance dysfunctional brain activity, the next step will be to conduct a clinical trial to test if TMS can lead to a sustained, positive effect on working memory deficits.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT03480737
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Enrollment
- 14 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Interventions
- Magstim Super Rapid2 stimulator, 10 Hz condition Device
- Magstim Super Rapid2 stimulator, Sham condition Device
- Magstim Super Rapid2 stimulator, iTBS condition Device
Device
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 13 Years to 17 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
- Oct 31, 2019
- Primary completion
- Mar 29, 2023
- Completion
- Mar 29, 2023
- Last update posted
- Sep 14, 2025
2019 – 2023
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 1
- U.S. states
- 1
- U.S. cities
- 1
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. P. Bradley Hospital | East Providence | Rhode Island | 02915 | — |
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 NCT03480737, 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 Sep 14, 2025 · Synced Sep 1, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT03480737 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.