Effect of TMS on Neuropathic Pain for Patients With Sci

February 22, 2026 updated by: Ayse Naz Kalem, Ankara Etlik City Hospital

The Effect of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Applied to the Primary Motor Cortex and Anterior Cingulate Cortex on Refractory Neuropathic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of rTMS targeting the anterior cingulate cortex, another stimulation site that may be effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain, and to compare it with motor cortex stimulation.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
39

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Ayse Naz Kalem Ozgen, Specialist
  • Phone Number: +90 0312 797 00 00
  • Email: kalemnaz@gmail.com

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Yenimahalle
      • Ankara, Yenimahalle, Turkey (Türkiye), 06010
        • Recruiting
        • Ankara Etlik City Hospital
        • Contact:
    • Çankaya
      • Ankara, Çankaya, Turkey (Türkiye), 06800
        • Recruiting
        • Gaziler Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Patients for whom at least 12 months have passed since the date of the event
  2. Patients who meet the International Pain Working Group's criteria for central neuropathic pain below the level of the lesion and who have had pain for at least 6 months
  3. Patients aged 18-65
  4. Pain not attributable to other causes such as rheumatological diseases or diabetes
  5. Patients with VAS > 4 despite maximum dose of pharmacological agents (anticonvulsants, antidepressants, narcotics), exercise and physical therapy agents, taking into account renal function tests and other comorbidities

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. History of epilepsy
  2. Metallic implant in the scalp
  3. Cochlear implant
  4. Spinal cord stimulator
  5. Pacemaker
  6. Presence of psychiatric illness
  7. Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: active rTMS primer motor cortex
Device: active TMS
Patients in the active or sham primary motor cortex rTMS group will receive active or sham rTMS at 5 Hz targeting the M1 area of the lower extremity motor area under medical supervision for a total of 10 sessions over 2 weeks. Patients in the active anterior cingulate cortex rTMS group will also receive active 5 Hz rTMS targeting the anterior cingulate cortex for a total of 10 sessions over 2 weeks under medical supervision.
Experimental: rTMS anterior cingulate gyrus
Device: active TMS
Patients in the active or sham primary motor cortex rTMS group will receive active or sham rTMS at 5 Hz targeting the M1 area of the lower extremity motor area under medical supervision for a total of 10 sessions over 2 weeks. Patients in the active anterior cingulate cortex rTMS group will also receive active 5 Hz rTMS targeting the anterior cingulate cortex for a total of 10 sessions over 2 weeks under medical supervision.
Sham Comparator: sham rTMS primer motor cortex
Device: sham TMS
Patients in the active or sham primary motor cortex rTMS group will receive active or sham rTMS at 5 Hz targeting the M1 area of the lower extremity motor area under medical supervision for a total of 10 sessions over 2 weeks. Patients in the active anterior cingulate cortex rTMS group will also receive active 5 Hz rTMS targeting the anterior cingulate cortex for a total of 10 sessions over 2 weeks under medical supervision.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
visual analog scale
Time Frame: first day of treatment, at the end of treatment (at 2nd week), 4 week after end of treatment, 12 week after end of treatment
The assessment of pain using a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS), separately for daytime and night-time. The assessment will be conducted on a scale of "0 = no pain" to "10 = the most severe pain imaginable".
first day of treatment, at the end of treatment (at 2nd week), 4 week after end of treatment, 12 week after end of treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
neuropathic pain scale
Time Frame: first day of treatment, at the end of treatment (at 2nd week), 4 week after end of treatment, 12 week after end of treatment
first day of treatment, at the end of treatment (at 2nd week), 4 week after end of treatment, 12 week after end of treatment
Beck Depression Scale
Time Frame: first day of treatment, at the end of treatment (at 2nd week), 4 week after end of treatment, 12 week after end of treatment
first day of treatment, at the end of treatment (at 2nd week), 4 week after end of treatment, 12 week after end of treatment
5-point Likert scale
Time Frame: first day of treatment, at the end of treatment (at 2nd week), 4 week after end of treatment, 12 week after end of treatment
It is a 5-point Likert scale to be used for assessing patient satisfaction.
first day of treatment, at the end of treatment (at 2nd week), 4 week after end of treatment, 12 week after end of treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Ankara Etlik City Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 15, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
November 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 13, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 7, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 19, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 24, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 22, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AEŞH-EK-2025-102

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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