NCT05671185Recruiting
rTMS for Depressive, Positive and Negative Symptoms, and Physiological Indices of Schizophrenia Patients
Therapeutic Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Depressive, Positive and Negative Symptoms, and Physiological Indices of Schizophrenia Patients
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 22 Jan 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Around 40% of schizophrenia patients present depressive symptoms, which are associated with elevated suicide and violence risk and poor prognosis and quality of life. Recent meta-analysis showed the effect size of antidepressants for depressive symptoms of schizophrenia patients was as low as 0.25, so new therapeutic approach is warranted. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive, anesthesia-free brain stimulation therapy for treatment refractory depression. Currently, rTMS is classified as high-frequency stimulation (\>5Hz, usually 10Hz or 20Hz) and low-frequency inhibition (usually 1Hz). Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is a new variant of rTMS, with stimulation frequency as high as 50Hz. Compared with high-frequency rTMS, iTBS has similar therapeutic effect and shorter stimulation duration. Up to now, studies exploring treatment effect of rTMS or iTBS for schizophrenia patients mainly focused on negative symptoms rather than depressive symptoms. Therefore, this study aims to explore treatment effect of rTMS or iTBS of depressive symptoms, negative symptoms, cognitive function and physiological indices for schizophrenia patients.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 180 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 18 Dec 2022
- Start date
- 1 Dec 2022
- Primary completion date
- Dec 2028
- Lead sponsor
- National Taiwan University Hospital
- Diseases
- Schizophrenia
- NCT number
- NCT05671185
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 180
- From 1 Dec 2022 to the primary completion date, Dec 2028
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Prior treatment
- With electronic and/or magnetic implants (e.g. pacemaker, implantable cardioverter defibrillator \[ICD\], cerebral shunts, cochlear implant, etc.)
- With any known or history of neurological conditions including cerebral vascular accidents, epilepsy (or epileptiform waves detected by EEG prior to the first session of rTMS), brain tumor or space occupying lesion
- Received rTMS or iTBS treatment within 3 months
Other illness
- DSM-5 defined substance use disorder (excluding tobacco) in the past 3 months
- Have clinically relevant cognitive impairment (e.g., delirium, intellectual disability or MMSE \< 15)
Other
- With metallic or mechanic fragments (e.g., screws, plates, stents, clips, etc.)
- Pregnant, or has a pregnancy plan within 3 months
- Has a clinically significant abnormality on the screening examination that might affect safety, study participation, or confound interpretation of study results
Who the study is looking for
- Age ≥ 20 years
- Able to give informed consent
- Diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder according to DSM-5
- Has a score ≥ 7 on Calgary depression scale for schizophrenia
- The principal psychotropic agents are not changed within one month of the first session of rTMS
Age in the registry: 20 years to - · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Douliu, Yunlin | Taiwan | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.