An interventional study of Accelerated iTBS in Depression, sponsored by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Completed at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-17.
Sponsored by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study will investigate the cortical hemodynamic response variability of an accelerated form of TBS stimulation over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using a concurrent TBS/fNIRS setup. The accelerating TMS protocol that will be used in this study is similar to the Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy (SAINT), i.e., fifty iTBS sessions (1,800 pulses per session, 50-minute intersession interval) will be delivered as 10 daily sessions over 5 consecutive days at 90% resting motor threshold. The investigators will recruit a depressed patient and conduct a concurrent iTBS/fNIRS protocol for each iTBS session. Moreover, the depression symptoms of the patient will be assessed before and after treatment.
8,059 studies on the registry are indexed under Depression; 1,643 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 1 is below the median of 84 across 6,722 interventional studies indexed under Depression.
Browse Depression studies →The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is the lead sponsor of 659 studies on the registry; 250 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
One depressed patient will be included in this study, which lasts for 5 consecutive days. During these 5 days, the participant will receive accelerated TMS treatment based on SAINT protocol, simultaneously monitored by concurrent TMS/fNIRS.
Other: Accelerated iTBS
Fifty iTBS sessions (1,800 pulses per session, 50-minute intersession interval) will be delivered as 10 daily sessions over 5 consecutive days at 90% resting motor threshold.
Oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HbO and HbR) change compared to baseline
iTBS-induced HbO and HbR change in the DLPFC before, during and after stimulation
Time frame: Before, during and immediately after the intervention
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)
The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, 17 item (HAM-D-17) is a simple, clinician-administered tool used to assess symptoms of depression experienced by a patient in the past week. The values of HAM-D-17 range from 0 to 52, and higher socres mean more severe symptoms.
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 5 days
Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS)
The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale is a ten-item diagnostic questionnaire which psychiatrists use to measure the severity of depressive episodes in patients with mood disorders. Each item yields a score of 0 to 6; the overall score thus ranges from 0 to 60. Higher MADRS score indicates more severe depression.
Time frame: through study completion, an average of 5 days
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a 9-question instrument to screen for depression. Each item yields a score of 0 to 3; the overall score thus ranges from 0 to 27. Higher PHQ-9 score indicates more severe depression.
Time frame: daily for 5 days
Verbal Analogue Scale (VAS) fatigue and pain level
The fatigue feelings of the patient will be assessed after each treatment, rated on a verbal analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (no fatigue) to 10 (intolerable fatigue).
Time frame: immediately after the intervention
Plan to share: No
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This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University