Actively Recruiting

Phase Not Applicable
Age: 18Years - 65Years
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers
ID06633913

Neural Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Using Concurrent Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Led by Jing Jiang · Updated on 2026-03-12

97

Participants Needed

1

Research Sites

48 weeks

Total Duration

On this page

Sponsors

J

Jing Jiang

Lead Sponsor

N

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Collaborating Sponsor

AI-Summary

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating how transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) affects the brain by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at the same time. This study involves both healthy adults and patients showing high negative affect symptoms like depression. It aims to understand whether the short-term effects of single-pulse TMS relate to the longer-term effects of repetitive TMS (rTMS) and how these effects might predict symptoms of depression. Participants will take part in two visits, each about two hours long. During the first visit, they will complete tests measuring cognitive abilities and emotional states, followed by brain scans including resting-state fMRI, structural MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging to identify the best brain areas for stimulation. In the second visit, participants will undergo three parts of TMS combined with fMRI: single-pulse TMS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and control area, theta-burst stimulation (TBS) to the DLPFC, and then single-pulse TMS again after TBS to observe changes in brain response. Throughout the study, participants' cognitive and emotional test results, along with brain connectivity data, will be analyzed to understand the relationship with TMS effects. Researchers will measure the differences in brain responses before and after TBS within about 10 minutes and also compare these effects between healthy controls and patients. The total participation involves two visits scheduled within one week, each with assessments, brain scans, and TMS procedures to track neural changes associated with brain stimulation.

CONDITIONS

Brief Title

Concurrent TMS-fMRI

Who Can Participate

Age: 18Years - 65Years
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible

You may qualify if you...

  • Adults aged 18 to 65 years
  • Able to understand and consent for research participation
  • English-speaking
  • For patients: diagnosis of major depressive disorder
  • For healthy controls: no lifetime psychiatric diagnosis or treatment
  • For healthy controls: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7) scores lower than 4
Not Eligible

You will not qualify if you...

  • Under 18 or over 65 years of age
  • History of epilepsy or seizure disorder
  • Implanted ferromagnetic equipment near the stimulation target
  • Implanted device not compatible with MRI (e.g., pacemaker, stent, defibrillator, neurostimulation device)
  • Metal in the body such as bullets, shrapnel, or slivers
  • Claustrophobia
  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure or blood circulation problems
  • Use of medications interfering with blood flow or fMRI recordings
  • Significant heart disease such as atrial fibrillation
  • Pregnancy in female participants
  • Prior exposure to deep brain stimulation, rTMS, or tDCS therapies
  • History of neurological or cardiovascular disorders, brain surgery, radiation, brain hemorrhage or tumor, stroke, or diabetes
  • Significant traumatic brain injury
  • Refusal to abstain from illicit drug use during the study
  • Refusal to abstain from alcohol within 24 hours of scans

AI-Screening

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Your Study Journey

Screening

Duration - 2 to 4 weeks

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.

1 visit (in-person)

Diagnostic Evaluation

Duration - 1 day

Participants complete cognitive and emotional tests and undergo brain scans to assess brain connectivity and determine stimulation sites for TMS-fMRI.

1 visit (approximately 2 hours, in-person)

Implementation

Duration - 1 day within 1 week of the first visit

Participants undergo TMS-fMRI scanning involving single-pulse TMS, theta-burst stimulation (TBS), and post-TBS single-pulse TMS to measure brain responses and modulation effects.

1 visit (approximately 2 hours, in-person)

Trial Site Locations

Total: 1 location

1

University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242

Actively Recruiting

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Research Team

J

Jing Jiang, PHD

E

Emily Gittle, BS

How is the study designed?

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Masking

NONE

Allocation

NA

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Number of Arms

1

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Published Research Related To This Trial

Effect of daily repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of tinnitus: comparison of different stimulus frequencies.

E M Khedr, J C Rothwell, M A Ahmed...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18202212

Daily repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of primary motor cortex for neuropathic pain: a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, crossover, sham-controlled trial.

Koichi Hosomi, Toshio Shimokawa, Katsunori Ikoma...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23623156

Effectiveness of theta burst versus high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with depression (THREE-D): a randomised non-inferiority trial.

Daniel M Blumberger, Fidel Vila-Rodriguez, Kevin E Thorpe...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29726344