Personalized theta-burst stimulation to create lasting changes in approach and avoidance behavior
Official title: The Efficiency of Personalized Theta-burst Stimulation for Inducing Long-lasting Changes in DLPFC
Run by Northwestern University · NCT07161505 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study will test whether personalized theta-burst magnetic stimulation, timed to each person's brain theta rhythm, can produce lasting changes in approach and avoidance behavior in healthy adults.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 65 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 26 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Northwestern University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Chicago, Illinois) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | July 31, 2025 |
| Main results expected | February 28, 2027 |
| Study ends | February 28, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | August 18, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07161505 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Healthy adults aged 18–65 who can complete study procedures, are not pregnant or breastfeeding, and have no contraindications to TMS or MRI are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
People with chronic neurological or psychiatric disorders, ongoing pharmacological treatments, pregnancy or breastfeeding, history of seizures, or incompatible implants are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This double-blinded, counterbalanced crossover study enrolls healthy adults for four in-person sessions combining EEG and theta-burst stimulation (TBS). Each session begins with an approach/avoidance task recorded with EEG to define individual theta rhythm, followed by one of four randomized TBS conditions (personalized left DLPFC suprathreshold, spatial control over postcentral gyrus, non-personalized temporal control over DLPFC, or lower-intensity dose control) delivering 1,800 pulses. Stimulation intensity is set relative to each participant's resting motor threshold, and the approach/avoidance task with EEG is repeated after stimulation to measure behavioral and resting-state EEG changes. The design allows within-subject comparison of personalized closed-loop TBS versus spatial, temporal, and dose controls.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could provide a noninvasive way to produce longer-lasting shifts in approach/avoidance behavior and guide personalized neuromodulation therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Non-personalized TBS/TMS has produced short-term behavioral and EEG changes in prior work, but closed-loop TBS synchronized to individual theta rhythms is relatively novel with limited prior evidence.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Participants must be legal adults between the ages of 18 to 65; 2. Able and willing to complete study procedures and tasks. Exclusion Criteria: 1. History or evidence of chronic neurological or mental disorder; 2. Chronic condition that requires pharmacological treatment over the course of study participation; 3. Pregnancy or breastfeeding; 4. History or evidence of alcohol or drug addiction; 5. Contraindications for transcranial magnetic stimulation (history of seizures, metallic or electric implant in the head/neck area); 6. Contraindications for magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla (non-compatible implants, metallic foreign bodies, insulin pump, pacemaker).
Where it's running
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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Ivan Alekseichuk, PhD — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Ivan Alekseichuk, PhD
- Email: neuromodlab@northwestern.edu
- Phone: 312-503-3196
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.