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Two Types of Magnetic Brain Stimulation for Depression That Has Not Responded to Treatment

Compares two forms of magnetic brain stimulation in adults with treatment-resistant depression.

Key facts

Who runs it
Ataturk University
Where
Erzurum, TürkiyeSee the site
Trial code
Registry title
Comparison of the Efficacy of Accelerated Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation and Accelerated Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
60 people, planned
Started
15 Nov 2025
Expected to end
15 Jan 2027
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with figure-eight coil
Record updated
4 December 2025

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for adults aged 18 to 65 with major depression that has not improved after 2 different antidepressants. It compares two types of magnetic brain stimulation.

Age
18 to 65 years
Sex
All sexes can join.
Disease stage
Major Depressive Disorder (DSM 5) that did not respond to 2 different antidepressants; Maudsley staging score of 7 or more; HDRS-17 score of 20 or higher; MADRS score of 20 or above.
Earlier treatment
Must have used the same antidepressant at the same dose for the last 4 weeks.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Neurological or metabolic disease that affects thinking, such as diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's disease or cancer
  • Metal or magnetic implants, such as a pacemaker or an implant inside the skull
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • A main mental illness other than major depression
  • Severe depression with psychotic features

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 17 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • 18 to 65 years old
  • Patients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder according to DSM 5 and the severity of their illness
  • Scoring 7 points or more on the Maudsley staging method
  • Having depression unresponsive to 2 different antidepressants
  • No clinical mental retardation
  • Agree to participate in the study
  • Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 [HDRS] score of 20 or higher
  • Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale [MADRS] score of 20 or above
  • Being right hand dominant
  • Having used the same antidepressant at the same dose for the last 4 weeks

Who cannot take part

  • Having a foreign body such as a pacemaker, intracranial implant that can magnetically interact
  • Diagnosed with a neurological or metabolic disease that affects cognitive functions (Systemic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic renal failure, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, polyneuropathy, inflammatory rheumatologic disease and malignancies)
  • Unstable or acute medical conditions
  • Having a primary psychiatric disorder other than major depressive disorder
  • Hearing and visual impairments that prevent communication
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Being diagnosed with severe MDD with psychotic features

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 18 and 65 years old?

Where in Türkiye

  • Atatürk UniversityErzurum, TürkiyeContact: Mahmut Balamur, research assistant doctorTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

In recent years, research on the effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (RTD) has been steadily increasing. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of accelerated unilateral application of two different forms of theta burst stimulation (TBU), a variation of repetitive TMU (rTMS)-intermittent TBU (iTBU) and continuous TBU (cTBU)-in TDD patients. The study aimed to compare the advantages of iTBU and cTBU protocols on depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety levels, sleep disturbances, cognitive performance, and overall functioning following a two-week intensive treatment period and a 12-week follow-up period.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • ItbsExisting treatment, for comparison

    iTBS with eight digit coils to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

    Treatment: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with figure-eight coil

  • ctbsExisting treatment, for comparison

    cTBS with a figure-of-eight coil to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

    Treatment: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation with figure-eight coil

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Comparison of the Efficacy of Accelerated Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation and Accelerated Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Depression
Plain-language title
Two Types of Magnetic Brain Stimulation for Depression That Has Not Responded to TreatmentGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Fit questions
Built from NCT07264452, who can take part
Record updated
4 December 2025