The Efficacy and Safety of Temporal Interference Stimulation in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

June 8, 2026 updated by: Zhen Wang, Shanghai Mental Health Center
This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Temporal Interference (TI) stimulation in treating patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to explore its potential neural mechanisms using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) ,magnetoencephalography（MEG）,electroencephalography (EEG).

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.

Detailed Description

This open-label, single-arm clinical trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Temporal Interference (TI) stimulation targeting the bilateral amygdala in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

All enrolled patients receive active TI stimulation delivered twice daily for 20 minutes per session over 7 consecutive days， followed by follow-up assessments for up to 3 months. Comprehensive clinical assessments, self-reported symptom scales, magnetic resonance imaging(MRI), magnetoencephalography（MEG）,electroencephalography (EEG), and cognitive function tests are conducted before and after the treatment to ensure data consistency.

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.
5

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.

Study Locations

  • China
      • Shanghai, China, 200030
        • Recruiting
        • Shanghai Mental Health Center
        • 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

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18-50 years, male or female
  2. Diagnosis of PTSD per DSM-5 (assessed by CAPS-5), with symptom duration of at least 3 months, and PTSD as the current primary diagnosis; comorbid depressive disorder or anxiety disorder is allowed
  3. If currently receiving psychiatric medication, the dosage must be stable for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment
  4. At least 9 years of education (junior high school or above)

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Any DSM-5 diagnosis other than PTSD, depressive disorder, or anxiety disorder
  2. PTSD symptoms too severe to complete required assessments
  3. Received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) within the past 6 months
  4. Received any other form of neuromodulation within the past 2 months (see Item 3 for ECT)
  5. Severe medical illness or any condition that may induce seizures or intracranial hypertension (e.g., cardiovascular or respiratory diseases)
  6. History of neurological disorders (e.g., epilepsy, cerebrovascular accident) or brain injury/surgery
  7. Presence of intracranial stents, cardiac pacemakers, coronary stents, cochlear implants, or any other MRI-incompatible implants
  8. Current significant suicidal behavior risk per investigator judgment
  9. Pregnancy or planning to become pregnant during the study period
  10. Initiation of structured psychotherapy for PTSD within 3 months prior to screening, with expected change during the 10-week treatment period

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: Bilateral Amygdala Group (BLA-TI)
Open-label, single-arm. Participants receive active Temporal Interference (TI) stimulation targeting the bilateral amygdala. Stimulation is delivered twice daily (20 minutes per session) for 7 consecutive days. Parameters: carrier frequencies 2000 Hz and 2160 Hz, envelope frequency 160 Hz, intensity 3-4 mA (adjusted to individual tolerance). Target localization is performed using each participant's MRI data to construct an individualized 3D head model, generating scalp stimulation coordinates for the bilateral amygdala.
Device: TI stimulation device (nerviox-1000）
The TI stimulation device delivers temporally interfering electrical fields with a 160 Hz envelope frequency, generated by high-frequency carrier waves (2000 Hz and 2160 Hz). Stimulation is applied for 20 minutes per session, with a peak current of 3-4 mA per channel, adjusted based on individual tolerance. The stimulation target is the bilateral amygdala. Stimulation is administered twice daily, with the treatment phase lasting 7 consecutive days.

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
post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms improvement
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately post-treatment (Day 7), and at follow-up visits (Week 1, Week 4, Month 3 post-treatment)
PTSD symptom severity will be assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5), a clinician-rated structured interview with a total severity score range of 0 to 80. Higher total scores indicate more severe post-traumatic stress symptoms.
Baseline, immediately post-treatment (Day 7), and at follow-up visits (Week 1, Week 4, Month 3 post-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.
Shanghai Mental Health Center

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.
June 8, 2026

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.
May 1, 2027

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.
June 1, 2027

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).
June 8, 2026

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.
June 8, 2026

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.
June 12, 2026

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.
June 12, 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.
June 8, 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.
May 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.
  • SMHC-PTSD-001

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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