TIS for Improving Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia

June 9, 2026 updated by: Renrong Wu, Central South University

Efficacy and Safety of Time Interference Stimulation on Cognitive Impairment in Patients With Schizophrenia

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and underlying neural mechanisms of TIS targeting the hippocampus in ameliorating cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS). Researchers will compare active TIS to a sham control to see if TIS works to treat CIAS. Participants will receive TIS twice a day for 2 weeks. Their clinical data, including the baseline clinical symptom scale score, cognitive function, E/I imbalance index recorded by EEG, and MRI data, will be collected at baseline, at the end of the 2-week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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

Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder that imposes a substantial and increasing global disease burden. Cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) is a core deficit that strongly predicts global function and quality of life. While effective for positive symptoms, antipsychotics cannot meet treatment requirements on CIAS and are limited by severe metabolic and extrapyramidal side effects. Consequently, there is an urgent need to explore effective treatments for CIAS.

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS), including TMS and TES, has emerged as a promising adjunctive therapy for CIAS by modulating cortical excitability and neuroplasticity. However, conventional NIBS is constrained by limited focal depth, indirectly influencing subcortical circuits. Temporal Interference Stimulation (TIS) overcomes these limitations by utilizing intersecting high-frequency electric fields to generate a low-frequency envelope, enabling the selective modulation of deep neural targets while sparing the superficial cortex. TIS offers superior spatial precision and tolerability for treating neuropsychiatric disorders involving deep-circuit dysfunction.

Neurophysiological evidence implicates glutamatergic dysregulation and excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) imbalance as key mechanisms in schizophrenia. Hippocampal hyperactivity enhances excitatory drive to the prefrontal cortex, disrupting cortico-hippocampal communication, attenuating γ-band oscillations, and impairing network synchrony that supports working memory and executive processes.

Recent studies in healthy individuals demonstrate that 5 Hz TIS targeting the left anterior hippocampus enhances episodic memory and hippocampal-prefrontal connectivity. Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) of the right hippocampus improves spatial memory. Only one pilot study in schizophrenia has examined high-frequency (130 Hz) TIS targeting the right nucleus accumbens, showing improvements in negative and cognitive symptoms.

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and underlying neural mechanisms of TIS targeting the hippocampus in ameliorating CIAS.

We will conduct a randomized controlled clinical trial. 50 participants with schizophrenia (25 in each group) will be recruited and randomly assigned to an active treatment group or a sham treatment group. The intervention will be given twice a day for 2 weeks. The changes in clinical symptoms, cognitive function, E/I imbalance, and brain structure and function will be collected at baseline, at the end of the 2-week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention to explore the short-term efficacy, safety, and neurobiological mechanism of TIS in improving cognitive function in schizophrenia.

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.
50

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
    • Hunan
      • Changsha, Hunan, China, 410011
        • Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University
        • 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:

  • Age 18-50 years old;
  • meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria;
  • the diagnosis of schizophrenia is confirmed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5);
  • the disease duration does not exceed 8 years;
  • 1-2 antipsychotic drugs are taken, and the treatment dose of antipsychotic drugs was stable for at least 1 week before enrollment. Mood stabilizers, antidepressants, and excessive benzodiazepines (lorazepam when 2 doses exceeded 2 mg/d) are not allowed;
  • The type of antipsychotic drugs remains unchanged during treatment, and the dose is adjusted by no more than 25%;
  • Impaired functioning in daily activities;
  • The Global Deficit Score (GDS) for the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) reaches 0.5 or above;
  • Agree to participate in this study and provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of other psychiatric comorbidities, intellectual disability, obvious mood symptoms, or substance use disorders (other than caffeine and/or tobacco);
  • with clear drug-induced extrapyramidal reaction;
  • A history of seizures, meningitis, or encephalitis;
  • with contraindications to transcranial electrical stimulation;
  • History of intracranial tumors or surgery;
  • history of severe head trauma;
  • have received other regimens of electrical or magnetic therapy in 1 month before enrollment.

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: Triple

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: Active TIS
Active TIS group will be administered active temporal interference stimulation
Device: temporal interference stimulation
TIS will use 2 pairs of electrodes placed according to a 10-10 EEG system and fixed with conductive paste to produce a theta burst stimulation pattern. Electric field modeling will be performed utilizing MRI T1 images to optimize the individualized electrode configuration to generate electric field intensities above 0.6 V/m in the hippocampus of each patient. Each session of stimulation lasts 30 minutes.
Sham Comparator: sham TIS
Sham TIS group will be administered sham temporal interference stimulation
Device: Sham stimulation
The sham stimulation only includes a 15-second ramp-up at the start and ramp-down at the beginning of each stimulus, which could simulate the scalp pulsing sensation caused by the change of current at the beginning and end of the stimulus.

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
changes on MCCB scores
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) can be used for cognitive assessment of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other neuropsychiatric diseases. The MCCB covers nine cognitive domains, including attention, information processing speed, verbal learning and memory, visual learning and memory, spatial working memory, reasoning, problem solving, social cognition, executive function, and fine motor skills. The working memory domain does not include verbal working memory because the Chinese language would not make feasible the inclusion of the LNS test.
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-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
Changes in brain function
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention
Functional MRI (fMRI) is based on the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) contrast that can detect changes in blood oxygenation to analyze the change of brain function after intervention.
Baseline, after 2-week intervention
Changes in Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) scores
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
Range from 30 to 210, higher score indicates more severe positive and negative symptoms.
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
Change in Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) score
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
The score range is 0-120; the higher the score, the more severe the negative symptoms are.
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
Changes in Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) score
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
Ranges from 0 to 27; a higher score indicates more severe affective symptoms.
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on neuroelectrophysiological signals
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
The changes of neuroelectrophysiological signals were collected under the task-based electroencephalogram.
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on global function
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
Global function will be measured by the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). GAF is a 0-100 numerical scale used by clinicians to subjectively rate a person's overall psychological, social, and occupational functioning. Higher scores (91-100) indicate superior functioning, while lower scores (1-10) indicate severe danger or impairment.
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes in social function.
Time Frame: Baseline, 4 weeks post-treatment
Social function will be assessed by the Global Functioning: Social (GF:Social) and Role (GF:Role) scales (GFS) and the Social Functioning Scale (SFS). The GFS is a clinician-rated, 1-10 point tool designed to measure social and occupational functioning. They focus on development, allowing for the assessment of change over time, and avoid confounding functioning with psychiatric symptoms. The SFS is a 79-item self-report measure designed to assess social functioning in schizophrenia. Items assess ability and performance related to social engagement, interpersonal contact, recreation, independence and competence in activities, activities of daily living, and employment.
Baseline, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on aperiodic 1/f-like signal exponent
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
The aperiodic component of the neural power spectrum, quantified as the slope of the 1/f-like signal recorded by electroencephalogram, will be used as an index of excitation/inhibition balance. The unit of measure is the exponent (unitless).
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on long-range temporal correlations (LRTCs)
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
Long-range temporal correlations of neural oscillations recorded by electroencephalogram will be measured as an index of the temporal stability of excitation/inhibition balance. The unit of measure is the Hurst exponent (unitless).
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on functional E/I ratio
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
The ratio of excitatory to inhibitory neural activity derived from electroencephalogram signals will be calculated as a functional excitation/inhibition balance index. The unit of measure is a ratio (unitless).
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on oscillation power across all frequency bands
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
The power of neural oscillations across all frequency bands (e.g., delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma) recorded by electroencephalogram will be measured. The power values from all bands will be averaged to produce a single composite oscillation power index. The unit of measure is microvolts squared (μV²).
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on 40 Hz auditory steady-state responses (40Hz-ASSRs)
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
The 40 Hz auditory steady-state responses recorded by electroencephalogram will be measured, including both evoked power and inter-trial phase coherence. The unit of measure for evoked power is μV², and the unit of measure for phase coherence is unitless.
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on mismatch negativity (MMN)
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
The mismatch negativity amplitude recorded by electroencephalogram using an oddball paradigm will be measured. The unit of measure is microvolts (μV).
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on P300 event-related potential
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
The P300 amplitude recorded by electroencephalogram using an oddball paradigm will be measured. The unit of measure is microvolts (μV).
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on behavioral performance - Sternberg Item-Recognition Paradigm
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
Behavioral performance will be evaluated using the Sternberg Item-Recognition Paradigm, a memory task that measures reaction time and accuracy. The unit of measure for reaction time is milliseconds (ms), and the unit of measure for accuracy is percentage correct (%).
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on behavioral performance - Mnemonic Similarity Task
Time Frame: Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
Behavioral performance will be evaluated using the Mnemonic Similarity Task, a memory task that measures pattern separation and recognition memory. Three indices will be derived and reported separately: the Lure Discrimination Index (LDI), the similarity object recognition index, and the old object recognition index. All three indices are measured in d-prime (unitless).
Baseline, after 2-week intervention, 4 weeks post-treatment
changes on peripheral blood allostatic load index
Time Frame: Baseline, 4 weeks post-treatment
Approximately 10 mL of blood will be collected intravenously to measure peripheral blood biomarkers: brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in ng/mL, C-reactive protein (CRP) in mg/L, interleukin-6 (IL-6) in pg/mL, Kynurenic acid in nM, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in mg/dL, and triglycerides (TG) in mg/dL. These biomarkers will be combined into a single allostatic load index using a standardized high-risk count algorithm. For each biomarker, a cutoff score based on population norms or clinical thresholds (e.g., highest-risk quartile) will be applied to determine high-risk status (1 = high-risk, 0 = not high-risk). The allostatic load score is the sum of high-risk indicators across all biomarkers. The unit of measure is the allostatic load score (unitless, integer count).
Baseline, 4 weeks 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.
Central South University

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 (Estimated)

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.
May 30, 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.
December 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.
December 30, 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).
February 27, 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 9, 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 15, 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 15, 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 9, 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.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • TIS20250606
  • 82325020 (Other Grant/Funding Number: National Natural Science Foundation of China)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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.

Clinical Trials on Cognitive Impairments

Clinical Trials on temporal interference stimulation

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings