Major Depressive Disorder / Active rTMS/Active iTBS / Active rTMS/Active iTBS DFPLC/Sham Pain M1 · Interventional Study

Pain and Major Depressive Disorder

ClinicalTrials.gov · August 11, 2026

Preliminary Why this matters to you Expert discussion

Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.

AI Summary

This is a registry record for an ongoing interventional study of transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with comorbid major depressive disorder and chronic pain. The trial has no control arm and no results are yet posted; it cannot currently inform clinical practice.

What was studied

Interventional, Randomized, Parallel, Double masking, Treatment purpose. Major Depressive Disorder, Chronic Pain; age from 18 Years; to 75 Years. Intervention: Active rTMS/Active iTBS DFPLC/Sham Pain M1; Active rTMS/Active iTBS. n = 54. 1 site: United States.

Key findings

Safety

Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.

Who this may help

The source did not state who this applies to in practice.

Plain-language summary

This is an active recruitment registry record with no posted results; it describes a planned interventional study with small sample size and no control group, precluding definitive conclusions.

Study design

As stated by the source record.

MethodsPrimary outcome measures: Percent change in depression scores (assessed at Through study completion, an average of 6 weeks); Percent change in pain score (assessed at Through study completion, an average of 6 weeks)

DesignInterventional, Randomized, Parallel, Double masking, Treatment purpose

PopulationMajor Depressive Disorder, Chronic Pain; age from 18 Years; to 75 Years

Sample size54

InterventionActive rTMS/Active iTBS DFPLC/Sham Pain M1; Active rTMS/Active iTBS

Setting1 site: United States

Reported figures

Quoted from the source exactly as published.

Planned sample size54

Primary outcome 1Percent change in depression scores, measured through study completion (average 6 weeks)

Primary outcome 2Percent change in pain score, measured through study completion (average 6 weeks)

Number of active treatment sessions30

Study visits required30–33

Caveats

Registry record only; no results are posted and recruitment is ongoing.
No control group or comparator arm; all enrolled subjects receive active rTMS or iTBS treatment.
Small sample size (n=54) limits power to detect clinically meaningful effects.
Primary outcomes are percentage change scores; absolute risk reduction, hazard ratios, confidence intervals, and p-values are not reported.

Evidence assessment

Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.

Study design

limited

Interventional design with no control group; all subjects receive active treatment.

Directness

strong

Primary outcomes directly measure depression and pain scores in the target population.

Consistency

insufficient

Registry record contains no results and no comparison to other studies.

Risk of bias

limited

Blinded transcranial stimulation; no control group limits causal inference.

Sample adequacy

limited

Planned enrollment of 54 participants is small for detecting treatment effects.

What is missing. This record has no key findings. That is a gap in the analysis, not a judgement about the study.

Source abstract

Registry record from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04556890). This is a study registration, not published results. Lead sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles. Recruitment status: RECRUITING. Phase: NA. Study type: INTERVENTIONAL. Enrollment: 54 participants (ESTIMATED). Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder, Chronic Pain. Interventions: DEVICE: Active rTMS/Active iTBS DFPLC/Sham Pain M1; DEVICE: Active rTMS/Active iTBS. Primary outcome measures: Percent change in depression scores , Through study completion, an average of 6 weeks; Percent change in pain score , Through study completion, an average of 6 weeks. Brief summary: This study will examine the effects of brain stimulation on pain symptoms associated with Major depressive disorder. This study will enroll 54 Subjects. Study subjects will be asked to complete surveys about their mood and well-being, 2 blood draws, 2 MRIs, 3 electroencephalograms, and receive 30 treatments of blinded transcranial magnetic stimulation. There is no control group as all subjects will receive some form of active treatment. Subjects are required to participate in 30-33 study visits and volunteer 40 hours of their time. Compensation for this study is $150 for completing all study activities.

Follow from this

Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.

NCT04556890Major Depressive DisorderUniversity of California, Los AngelesActive rTMS/Active iTBSActive rTMS/Active iTBS DFPLC/Sham Pain M1Chronic Pain