Recruiting

Personalized TBS

Sponsor:

Northwestern University

Code:

NCT07161505

Conditions

Approach/Avoidance Behavior

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 65

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

TBS-EEG

TBS-EEG / Spatial Control

TBS / Temporal Control

TBS-EEG / Dose Control

Study Details

Brief summary:

This study will assess the long-lasting effects of personalized theta burst stimulation (TBS), a repetitive form of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), over the left prefrontal cortex on the approach/avoidance behavior. TBS will be personalized based on the prefrontal theta rhythm captured with electroencephalography (EEG). The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. does a single session of personalized TBS synchronized with the individual theta rhythm over the left prefrontal cortex results in the outlasting changes in the individual behavior? 2. Does TBS results in the brain rhythms' changes as measured using resting-state EEG?

Conditions

Approach/Avoidance Behavior

Study ID

NCT07161505

Start date

Jul 31, 2025

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Feb 28, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Feb 28, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 65

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

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).

Study Design

Enrollment

26 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Personalized TBS-EEG over the prefrontal cortex

Theta burst stimulation (TBS) will be administrated with a figure-8 coil over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at the pulse intensity of up to 120% of the individualized resting motor threshold (rMT). Stimulation will be conducted at rest. The TBS parameters will be individualized to the prefrontal EEG activity (theta-gamma coupling) and delivered in synchrony with the prefrontal theta activity (phase). The approach/avoidance test and resting-state EEG recordings will be administered before and after the stimulation.

active comparator: Personalized TBS-EEG over the head vertex

Theta burst stimulation (TBS) will be administrated with a figure-8 coil over the postcentral gyrus (- a brain area with minimal functional relevance to the task) at the pulse intensity of up to 120% of the individualized resting motor threshold (rMT). Stimulation will be conducted at rest. The TBS parameters will be individualized to the prefrontal EEG activity (theta-gamma coupling) and delivered in synchrony with the prefrontal theta activity (phase). The approach/avoidance test and resting-state EEG recordings will be administered before and after the stimulation.

active comparator: Conventional TBS over the prefrontal cortex

Theta burst stimulation (TBS) will be administrated with a figure-8 coil over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at the pulse intensity of up to 120% of the individualized resting motor threshold (rMT). Stimulation will be conducted at rest The TBS parameters will be randomized within the normative range of theta-gamma coupling (biomarker in the main experimental arm) and delivered in open-loop (irrespective of the EEG activity). The approach/avoidance test and resting-state EEG recordings will be administered before and after the stimulation.

active comparator: Lower intensity personalized TBS-EEG

Theta burst stimulation (TBS) will be administrated with a figure-8 coil over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at the sub-threshold pulse intensity of up to 80% of the individualized resting motor threshold (rMT). Stimulation will be conducted at rest. The TBS parameters will be individualized to the prefrontal EEG activity (theta-gamma coupling) and delivered in synchrony with the prefrontal theta activity (phase). The approach/avoidance test and resting-state EEG recordings will be administered before and after the stimulation.

Interventions

TBS-EEG

Theta-burst stimulation (TBS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) synchronized with the ongoing electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations in the theta (3-7 Hz) range at a suprathreshold pulse intensity (up to 120% rMT).

TBS-EEG / Spatial Control

Theta-burst stimulation (TBS) over the postcentral gyrus, synchronized with the ongoing electroencephalographic (EEG) oscillations in the theta (3-7 Hz) range at a suprathreshold pulse intensity (up to 120% rMT).

TBS / Temporal Control

Theta-burst stimulation (TBS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) at a suprathreshold pulse intensity (up to 120% rMT).

TBS-EEG / Dose Control

Theta-burst stimulation (TBS) similar to the "TBS-EEG" condition but at a subthreshold pulse intensity (up to 80% rMT).

Primary outcome measure

  • Approach/avoidance behavior [ Time Frame: Within twenty minutes before and twenty minutes after the TBS procedure ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Ivan Alekseichuk, PhD

312-503-3196neuromodlab@northwestern.edu

Locations

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Recruiting

Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60611

Contacts

Ivan Alekseichuk, PhD

312-503-3196neuromodlab@northwestern.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Northwestern University

Last update posted

Aug 18, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Northwestern University on 2026-08-18.