Accelerated Neuromodulation Therapy and Neurocomputational Biomarkers in Individuals at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis
Key facts
- Where
- Verdun, CanadaSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 34 years old?
Source: NCT07786714, who can take part
Where in Canada
- McGill Lab for Computational Psychiatry and TranslationVerdun, CanadaTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute
- Trial code
- NCT07786714
- Record updated
- 28 August 2026
- Original description
The goal of this study is to learn whether an accelerated form of neuromodulation therapy is safe, feasible, and well tolerated in young people at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P), and whether it is associated with changes in candidate biomarkers of treatment response.Read full original descriptionShow less
The goal of this study is to learn whether an accelerated form of neuromodulation therapy is safe, feasible, and well tolerated in young people at clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P), and whether it is associated with changes in candidate biomarkers of treatment response.
Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either active accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) or sham stimulation to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, delivered over five consecutive days.
The study will look at whether this accelerated treatment approach is safe and feasible for people at clinical high risk for psychosis, whether depressive symptoms improve after treatment, and whether computerized behavioural tasks and passive digital monitoring (wearables, smartphone apps, and speech analysis) can detect treatment-related changes that may serve as biomarkers for future, larger trials.
Participants will complete clinical interviews and questionnaires, a cognitive battery, and computerized behavioral tasks; wear a Fitbit and use smartphone applications for at least two weeks before and throughout treatment; receive neuromodulation therapy or sham stimulation over five consecutive days; and attend follow-up visits at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after treatment.
Inclusion: Meets clinical CHR-P criteria, confirmed by the Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (SIPS); Clinical team confirms sufficient stability to participate; Able to provide informed consent.
Exclusion: Previous rTMS treatment; History of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the past 6 months; Contraindications for TMS (e.g., metal implants in head/neck, seizure history, brain tumor/neurosurgery, severe cardiac disease); Documented history of significant intellectual disability; Pregnancy, lactation, or intrauterine device; Substance use during the treatment week (cigarettes and cannabis excluded from this consideration).