Clinical Research Directory

Deep Versus Standard Prolonged Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation for Depression

This study compares two types of non-invasive brain stimulation to treat major depression in patients who have not found relief from at least one antidepressant medication. The study will use a specific type of brain stimulation called prolonged intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (piTBS). The standard way to use piTBS for depression is to target an area on the side of the head called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). This study will compare this standard piTBS method with a newer approach, deep piTBS, which targets a different, deeper area in the middle of the brain called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive the deep piTBS treatment, and the other will receive the standard piTBS treatment. Both treatments are given once a day, five days a week, for four weeks. The study aims to find out if the deep piTBS approach is more effective at reducing symptoms of depression than the standard approach. Researchers will also look at effects on anxiety and other related symptoms.

Single-Center, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study on Efficacy and Safety of rTMS (With Precise Localization) in Relieving Motor Symptoms of TD

\# Brief Summary (English Version) Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) is a hyperkinetic movement disorder induced by long-term use of dopamine receptor blockers and related drugs. Characterized by involuntary spasms or choreiform movements involving the tongue, lower face, jaw, and limbs (persisting for at least several weeks), TD causes irreversible neurological damage that persists even after discontinuing the causative drugs, significantly impairing patients' functional outcomes. rTMS is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique: time-varying currents in a coil generate magnetic fields that penetrate the scalp and skull to act on brain neurons, inducing depolarization, neural network activation, neurotransmitter release, metabolic changes, and gene expression, thereby producing physiological effects \[9\]. In recent years, rTMS has gained attention for treating movement disorders (e.g., Parkinson's disease, motor neuron disease, dystonia, essential tremor, Huntington's disease) due to its non-invasiveness, high safety, and repeatability. Studies have reported that rTMS can significantly improve motor symptoms in TD patients \[10, 11\]; however, existing research is limited by small sample sizes, conventional treatment parameters, large inter-individual variability, and unclear long-term efficacy. rTMS efficacy in TD is strongly influenced by parameters including stimulation targets, localization methods, sequences, and cycles. Optical navigation (using personalized MRI) is the most accurate and yields the best therapeutic effects, compared to manual localization or positioning caps . Regarding stimulation sequences, 1Hz and 20Hz rTMS have shown efficacy but with short-lived effects. Continuous theta-Burst Stimulation (cTBS)-a specialized rTMS mode that delivers rapid pulse trains mimicking endogenous theta-wave bursts-provides higher therapeutic doses in less time, enabling more durable efficacy and effectively reducing motor cortex excitability . Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of cTBS (under precise localization) on improving motor symptoms in patients with TD.

Lf-rTMS Attenuates Visceral Pain in Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Diarrhea

Objectives: To identify a central hub of visceral pain in IBS-D and elucidate the mechanism by which repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) confers analgesic effects. Methods: A total of 42 IBS-D patients were recruited and randomly assigned (1:1) to the sham rTMS or the rTMS group. A nested cohort of 21 IBS-D participants who completed baseline fMRI assessments prior to randomization was included. Consistent with the randomization procedure，these individuals were evenly distributed between the two groups. Both participants and outcome assessors remained blinded to treatment allocation throughout the study. All patients completed the two-week intervention and were included in the final analysis.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Postoperative Neurocognitive Recovery

Patients with preoperative cognitive impairment are at increased risks of delayed neurocognitive recovery (DNR) and postoperative neurocognitive disorder (POCD). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been used to improve cognitive function in patients with cognitive impairement. This trial is designed to compare the effects of rTMS versus sham intervention on postoperative neurocognitive function in patients with preoperative cognitive impairment.

Comparative Effectiveness of Ipsilesional High-frequency rTMS, Contralesional Continuous Burst Theta rTMS, and Sham rTMS, Each Combined With Physiotherapy, in Subacute Ischemic Stroke Upper Limb Recovery : Clinical, Neurophysiological and Radiological

To compare the efficacy of lesional high-frequency rTMS, contralesional cTBS, and sham stimulation in improving motor and cognitive recovery in post-stroke patients undergoing physiotherapy.

fMRI Study of the Neural Mechanism of rTMS in the Treatment of Nicotine Dependence

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the efficacy of treatment and the efficacy-related neural network mechanisms by stimulating the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe with rTMS to nicotine dependent. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Efficacy of left dorsolateral prefrontal rTMS in the treatment of nicotine dependent subjects. * The relationship between therapeutic effect and the internal function of the large brain networks of ECN, DMN and SN, and the changes in the interaction between the networks.

Measuring rTMS-induced Neuroplasticity With EEG Steady-state Visual-evoked Potentials

The goals of this study are to 1) use EEG steady-state visual evoked potentials as a noninvasive measure of the neuroplasticity induced by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), 2) use visual contrast detection paradigms as a behavioral measure of rTMS effects, and 3) to investigate how visual spatial attention augments or suppresses the neuroplastic impact of rTMS. Participants will observe visual stimuli on a screen while allocating their attention to different parts of the visual field and making responses when they observe changes in the visual stimuli. rTMS is performed to visual cortex using MRI-retinotopy neuronavigation. Then the visual task paradigm is performed again.