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Development of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Techniques

NCT03351764 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 83

Last updated 2026-01-20

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Background:

Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) may help diagnose and treat psychiatric and neurological illness. But there is not enough research on how to apply NIBS. This includes how strong to make it, where on the brain to apply it, and for how long. Researchers also want to see what the brain is doing when it receives NIBS.

Objective:

To increase the effectiveness of NIBS.

Eligibility:

Healthy native English speakers ages 18-65

Design:

Participants will be screened under another protocol with:

Medical and psychiatric history

Psychiatric evaluation

Physical exam

Urine tests

All participants will start with a 2-hour visit for screening. (see below). They may learn how to do tasks that will be used later. After the screening session, they will be scheduled for an MRI session.

The next part of the study is 4 substudies. Each substudy includes up to 4 sessions. A session is usually 2-3 hours but can last up to 8 hours. Participants can join multiple substudies, but only 1 at a time. They can do only 1 session on a given day.

Each substudy includes the following:

Behavioral tests: Interviews; questionnaires; simple tasks; and tests of memory, attention, and thinking

Electromyography: Small sticky electrodes on the skin measure muscle activity.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation: A wire coil is held to the scalp. A brief electrical current passes through the coil and affects brain activity.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Participants lie on a table that slides into a machine that takes pictures of the brain. A coil is placed over the head. They will perform simple tasks while in the scanner. They may also get TMS.

Electroencephalography: Small electrodes on the scalp record brain waves.

Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of M

...

Conditions

  • Normal Physiology

Interventions

DEVICE

Sham TMS

Subjects receive sham TMS via coil designed to produce the clicking sound of active TMS without delivering the magnetic field to the brain.

DEVICE

TMS

non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation is used to temporarily modulation ongoing cortical activity

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

    lead NIH

Principal Investigators

  • Carlos A Zarate, M.D. · National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2018-01-11
Primary Completion
2025-12-15
Completion
2025-12-15

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03351764 on ClinicalTrials.gov