Prefrontal Neuroplasticity and Coping Strategies in Healthy Population

NCT07433829 | Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: HSEARS20230705001-04
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 42
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The current study serves as a pilot for the GRF project "Predicting illness trajectories in fully remitted major depression using concurrent TBS/fNIRS." The project examines whether intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) induces immediate changes in prefrontal excitability in healthy individuals, compared to sham stimulation. In this randomized, sham-controlled trial, investigators will assess several psychological measures-including the Perceived Stress Scale and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations-to explore how stress levels and coping strategies relate to immediate prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity changes following TBS.

Conditions

Health Adult Subjects

Keywords

concurrent TMS/fNIRS; prefrontal cortex; stress

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• iTBS induced prefrontal cortex activity and connectivity

  3 minutes before, during, and after the stimulation

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• perceived stress scale

  the same day before conducting the experiment

• coping inventory for stressful situations

  the same day before conducting the experiment

Study Arms (2)

Real Stimulation

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm will receive a real session of iTBS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Device: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Sham Stimulation

SHAM COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm will receive a sham session of iTBS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Device: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation DEVICE

sham stimulation protocols is to mimic the sensations experienced by participants during active stimulation, without stimulating the brain

Also known as: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Sham

Real Stimulation; Sham Stimulation

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• years old;

You may not qualify if:

• a family history of psychiatric disorders;
• history of or currently diagnosed neuropsychiatric conditions;
• history of or active systemic illnesses such as cancer, epilepsy, diabetes, hypertension, or other medical conditions;
• contraindications to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS);
• any prior exposure to brain stimulation procedures.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Hong Kong, 九龙, China

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Magnetic Field Therapy; Therapeutics

Central Study Contacts

Georg Kranz, PhD

CONTACT

+85227664838; Georg.kranz@polyu.edu.hk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associated Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 19, 2026
• First Posted: February 25, 2026
• Study Start: January 17, 2026
• Primary Completion: March 30, 2026
• Study Completion: March 30, 2026
• Last Updated: April 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL

Locations

CN (1)