An interventional study of Classical repetitive trancranial magnetic stimulation to M1 and Personalized Target Arm in Chronic Pain, sponsored by Aalborg University. Recruiting at 1 site in Denmark. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 80 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-07.
Sponsored by Aalborg University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Among 11 studies in Chronic Pain by Aalborg University — 4 open to participants now, 4 under way, none of them phase 3. Chronic Pain · Aalborg University.
Among the 11 studies in Chronic Pain by Aalborg University, this one is the 3rd largest by planned enrollment of the 10 interventional ones that give a count, is one of 2 that started in 2026, is one of 10 with no phase, and was the 9th registered.
3,227 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Pain; 729 are open to participants now.
Browse Chronic Pain studies →4 of the 11 studies in Chronic Pain by Aalborg University are open now, in 1 country. Recruiting first, the newest first:
Aalborg University · Sites in Denmark
Aalborg University · Sites in Denmark
Aalborg University
By country, each count listing its studies:
Of the 486 Chronic Pain studies recruiting now, 239 (49%) set no upper age limit and 173 (36%) stop at 75 or younger; 43 take children under 18; 64 take healthy volunteers.
This study: 18 Years to 80 Years · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.
The full table on the hub →This tab as a report to print or save as PDF → With an account.
11 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.
First in 2018; this study’s year is marked. 2 started in 2026.
This study's planned enrollment of 90 is above the median of 60 across 2,388 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Pain.
Median enrollment 81 across the 10 interventional studies, 600,000 across the 1 observational. Of the 6 that completed or were terminated, 0 (0%) have results posted.
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Aalborg University is the lead sponsor of 182 studies on the registry; 31 are open to participants now.
1 of the studies in Chronic Pain by Aalborg University that are under way reach primary completion within a year, 0 of them phase 3. Phase 3 first, then by date:
| Study | Primary completion |
|---|---|
| NCT07266103Aalborg UniversityMechanistic Study of Personalized rTMS in Chronic Pain | 2027-06-30 |
Among the 11 studies in Chronic Pain by Aalborg University, from their registry updates:
Nothing recorded among them since 2026-09-25.
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Previous research has demonstrated that repetitive magnetic brain stimulation can be an effective adjunctive treatment for several conditions, including chronic pain. However, current stimulation protocols are typically standardized and do not account for individual variability in brain function. This uniform, one-size-fits-all approach results in only about 40% of patients experiencing meaningful clinical benefit, while the remainder show little to no improvement. To address this limitation, the present study will investigate how magnetic stimulation can be tailored to individuals with chronic pain. By analyzing each participant's brain signals prior to treatment, we aim to personalize stimulation parameters to better match individual neural characteristics and potentially enhance therapeutic outcomes. The design of this study builds directly on the findings of a previous clinical trial.
This study builds directly on previous clinical findings identifying four cortical targets-primary motor cortex (M1), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the posterior insula (PSI)-as exhibiting neurophysiological properties potentially useful for guiding individualized repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) target selection. Earlier results demonstrated that chronic pain patients with low alpha-band intertrial coherence (ITC) over M1 were more likely to respond to stimulation of M1, whereas patients with high alpha-band ITC showed a greater likelihood of responding to stimulation of PSI, ACC or DLPFC. These findings suggest that specific electroencephalography (EEG) connectivity markers may help predict the cortical target most likely to provide therapeutic benefit for an individual patient.
Building on this evidence, the present trial will classify participants according to their pre-treatment transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) connectivity profiles and assign treatment to the cortical region with the highest predicted probability of clinical response.
A total of 90 patients with chronic pain will be enrolled in a double-blind, randomized, two-parallel-arm clinical trial comparing the analgesic effects of individualized target selection with those of the standard rTMS protocol. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to:
At baseline, participants will complete standardized questionnaires and undergo neurophysiological assessments, including single-pulse TMS-EEG for target classification. The induction phase will then begin, consisting of five consecutive daily rTMS sessions delivered Monday through Friday. Each session lasts 30 minutes, including 15 minutes of active stimulation.
The induction phase will be followed by a 7-week maintenance phase, during which participants receive one rTMS session per week (seven sessions in total). At the end of the maintenance phase, all outcome measures will be reassessed to evaluate treatment efficacy.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The patients will receive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation according to the classical treatment
Device: Classical repetitive trancranial magnetic stimulation to M1
The patients will receive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to target showing the optimal connectivity during the TMS-EEG assessment one week before starting the treatment
Device: Personalized Target Arm
The rTMS intervention consists of 10-Hz rTMS. Thirty trains of ten seconds with an interval of twenty seconds between trains will be delivered, as traditionally performed. Each train includes 100 pulses, and the total number of pulses will be 3,000 given in 15 minutes.
The rTMS intervention consists of 10-Hz rTMS. Thirty trains of ten seconds will be delivered with an interval of twenty seconds between trains. Each train includes 100 pulses, and the total number of pulses will be 3,000 given in 15 minutes. The rTMS will be delivered to the optimal target
Pain intensity (Visual analogue scale)
The '0' represents 'no pain' at all, and '100' represents the 'worst possible pain' that the individual can imagine.
Time frame: Visual analogue scale will be assessed before treatment, after 2 months, and again after 3 months. Responders are those with ≥30% pain reduction at the end of maintenance compared to average pain intensity the week before baseline assessment.
Quality of life (EQ-5D)
Quality of life (EQ-5D) is a standardized measure of health-related quality of life. This is the value derived from the 5 dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression). The EQ-5D-5L is a scale from 0 to 100, where 100 is the best health imaginable.
Time frame: Quality of life changes will be investigated before the treatment, immediately after 2 months of treatment, and again after 3 months of treatment.
Patients' Global Impression of Change
The questionnaire assesses the individual's impression of change after an intervention. Minimum value: 1 = "Very much worse" and Maximum value: 7 = "Very much improved"
Time frame: Patients' Global Impression of Change will be investigated before the treatment, immediately after 2 months of treatment, and again after 3 months of treatment
Short Brief Pain Inventory
9 item self-administered questionnaire used to evaluate the severity of a patient's pain and the impact of this pain on the patient's daily functioning
Time frame: Short Brief Pain Inventory changes will be investigated before the treatment, immediately after 2 months of treatment, and again after 3 months of treatment.
Connectivity analysis
Electroencephalography recorded during single pulses of transcranial magnetic stimulation will be used to evaluate brain connectivity. Global mean field power, local mean field power, inter-trial coherence and event-related strectral perturbation will be the main outcome.
Time frame: Connectivity changes will be investigated before the treatment and immediately after 2 months of treatment.
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Mar 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jun 2027, 15 months after the start.
Of 1,295 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Chronic Pain, half reached primary completion within 20 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 39. This study's planned 15 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,378 studies reached it within 20 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 38.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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