TMS for Sympathetic Hyperactivity and Inflammation in Acute Myocardial Infarction

September 21, 2026 updated by: Xue Yu, Beijing Hospital

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Sympathetic Hyperactivity and Inflammatory Response in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Clinical Study

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve sympathetic hyperactivity and inflammatory responses in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), as well as evaluate its safety and tolerability. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Can 1-Hz low-frequency rTMS targeting the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex improve heart rate variability (SDNN) among patients with acute myocardial infarction? Is rTMS safe and well-tolerated for patients with acute myocardial infarction?

Researchers will compare real rTMS versus sham rTMS to see if real rTMS can reduce sympathetic over-activation and inflammation in AMI patients.

Participants will:

  • Receive either real repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation or sham stimulation for 7 consecutive days on top of standard-of-care medication for AMI
  • Complete clinical assessments including electrocardiogram, Holter monitoring, echocardiography, blood laboratory tests for inflammatory markers at baseline, day 7, day 30, and 3-month follow-up
  • Undergo resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans at baseline and day 7
  • Fill out psychological and quality-of-life questionnaires (PHQ-9, SF-36) at scheduled study visits
  • Attend follow-up clinic visits to record adverse events and major adverse cardiovascular events

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.
100

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
    • Beijing Municipality
      • Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China, 100730
        • Recruiting
        • Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology
        • Contact:
          • Yi Ye, MD (Doctor of Medicine)
          • Phone Number: 86+15181627926
          • Email: yye_bjyy@163.com

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

30 years to 75 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Aged 30 to 75 years (inclusive), no restriction on sex;
  2. Diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in accordance with the Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (2018 ESC/ACC/AHA/WHF), with typical clinical manifestations, electrocardiographic changes and dynamic elevation of cardiac biomarkers;
  3. Received standardized reperfusion therapy (thrombolysis or percutaneous coronary intervention, PCI) with hemodynamic stability;
  4. Killip class I-II;
  5. Evidence of sympathetic activation: resting heart rate ≥90 beats per minute (after excluding confounders such as fever, thyroid dysfunction and severe anemia); reduced heart rate variability (e.g., SDNN <100 ms) or frequency-domain indices indicating sympathetic predominance (e.g., elevated LF/HF ratio).

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Severe cardiac dysfunction: Killip class ≥ III, or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <30%;
  2. Contraindications to TMS: history of seizure, intracranial surgery or cranial trauma, intracranial/intra-cranial metallic implants, implanted pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator;
  3. Active severe infection, ongoing anti-tumor treatment, or severe hepatic/renal insufficiency (judged comprehensively by clinical and laboratory findings);
  4. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, or those with definite pregnancy plan during the study period;
  5. Alcohol or substance dependence, psychiatric or cognitive disorders resulting in poor adherence;
  6. Participation in another interventional clinical trial within the past 3 months that may interfere with interpretation of study results;
  7. Prior TMS treatment for other diseases;
  8. Other conditions judged by investigators to make the participant unsuitable for enrollment (e.g., uncontrolled persistent myocardial ischemia, refractory arrhythmia, need for urgent cardiac surgery).

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: Quadruple

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 rTMS Group

Participants receive 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, once daily for 7 consecutive days, in addition to standard medical therapy for acute myocardial infarction.
Device: 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)

1 Hz low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation targeting the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, delivered once daily for 7 consecutive days. The stimulation is given on top of standard medication for acute myocardial infarction.
Sham Comparator: Sham rTMS Group

Participants receive sham rTMS with identical procedure, coil placement and noise, without real magnetic stimulation, once daily for 7 consecutive days, in addition to standard medical therapy for acute myocardial infarction.
Device: Sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (sham rTMS)

Sham repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with identical coil placement, operation noise and treatment schedule, without real magnetic field output. The intervention is delivered once daily for 7 consecutive days, combined with standard medical therapy for acute myocardial infarction.

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
Time Frame
Change in heart rate variability (SDNN) from baseline to day 7
Time Frame: Baseline and Day 7 (end of treatment)
Baseline and Day 7 (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.
Beijing 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.
May 17, 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.
October 31, 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 30, 2028

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).
September 21, 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.
September 21, 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.
September 25, 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.
September 25, 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.
September 21, 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.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • BJ-2025-121

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

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

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