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Bilateral Prefrontal and Insular TMS for Depression in Schizophrenia

This study is testing a treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for people who have both schizophrenia and symptoms of depression. rTMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain. The study will compare active rTMS stimulation, using an H-coil device, to a sham (inactive) rTMS stimulation. The goal is to see if active rTMS can improve depressive symptoms in people with schizophrenia. Researchers will measure changes in brain connectivity using fMRI scans to understand the treatment's effects. You may be able to join if you are 18-60 years old, have a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, and experience depressive symptoms.

Study design
This is an interventional study planning to enroll 120 participants. It compares active rTMS stimulation to sham rTMS stimulation.
What's involved
You would receive rTMS sessions three times per treatment visit for up to 20 visits over about 4 weeks. Each session takes 3-4 minutes, with 30-minute breaks between sessions.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Brain connectivity will be measured at baseline, after about 2 weeks, and after about 4 weeks.

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NCT07060066

Bilateral Prefrontal and Insular TMS for Depression in Schizophrenia

Recruiting
NAAges 18–60InterventionalTreatment
The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
~120 participants
Updated 2026-08-05 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Active rTMS stimulationSham rTMS stimulation

At a glance

Recruiting sites
1 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Brain connectivity as indicated by resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) values as assessed by functional MRI (fMRI)
Measured over baseline, visit 11 (about 2 week after baseline), visit 21 (about 4 weeks after baseline)

Conditions

Schizophrenia and Related Disorders

Explore related trials

DepressionSchizophrenia

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
Texas1

Study leadership

  • Xiaoming Du, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Who to contact

Alina Siatka
[email protected]
713-486-2740
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Male and female ages between ages 18-60 years.
Ability to give written informed consent (age 18 or above).
Diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and Evaluation to Sign Consent (ESC) above 10.
Score of Calgary depression scale for schizophrenia (CDSS) ≥ 3.

Exclusion

Inability to sign informed consent.
Any major medical illnesses that may affect normal brain functioning. Examples of these conditions include, but are not limited to: stroke, repeated seizure, history of significant head trauma with cognitive sequela, CNS infection or tumor, other significant brain neurological conditions.
Significant alcohol or other drug use other than nicotine or marijuana dependence.
Inability to refrain from using alcohol and/or marijuana 24 hours or more prior to experiments.
Pregnancy, as classified by a woman of child-bearing potential who is not using a contraceptive and has missed a menstrual period; or by self-report; or by positive urine pregnancy test.
For MRI, inability to participate in the MRI scanning due to metallic devices or objects (cardiac pacemaker or neurostimulator, some artificial joints, metal pins, surgical clips or other implanted metal parts) or declining to get in the scanner.
Failed TMS safety questionnaire.

What this trial measures

  • Brain connectivity as indicated by resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) values as assessed by functional MRI (fMRI)baseline, visit 11 (about 2 week after baseline), visit 21 (about 4 weeks after baseline)

    rsFC values will be reported as a Z-score with a range of -1 to 1, with greater absolute values indicating stronger brain connectivity.