---
title: Magnetic stimulation reduces compulsive behaviors
nct_id: NCT06237868
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: West Virginia University
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06237868"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06237868"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:06:34.645Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Magnetic stimulation reduces compulsive behaviors

**Goal (in five words):** Magnetic stimulation reduces compulsive behaviors

**Official Title:** The Effects of High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease Patients on Dopamine Replacement Therapy.

**Trial ID:** [NCT06237868](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06237868)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** West Virginia University
- **Target Enrollment:** 20 participants
- **Start Date:** 2024-05-01
- **Completion Date:** 2027-05
- **Conditions:** Impulse Control Disorder, Parkinson Disease
- **Interventions:** rTMS Active, rTMS Sham
- **Intervention Types:** DEVICE

## Summary For Families

The goal is to reduce impulse control problems like gambling, compulsive shopping, hypersexuality, punding, or dopamine dysregulation syndrome that can arise while on dopamine replacement therapy. The approach uses high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, sending repeated magnetic pulses to boost activity in frontal brain regions involved in self-control, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, with active stimulation compared to a sham procedure, and it does not change your levodopa or other dopamine meds. Adults 18 and older with clinician-confirmed Parkinson's who are on dopamine-replacement therapy and have clinician-diagnosed impulse control behaviors can enroll, provided they have mild or no depression (BDI ≤14), reasonable cognition (MoCA ≥20), and no seizure history, major psychiatric illness, significant brain lesions or recent TMS, pregnancy, intracranial metal, or medications that raise seizure risk.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 18 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Clinician-confirmed diagnosis of PD
* Ability to provide informed consent, written and verbal
* Clinician-diagnosed impulse control disorder or impulse control behaviors including punding/hobbyism and dopamine dysregulation syndrome
* A Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck et al., 1961) score of 14 or lower
* A Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (Nasreddine et al., 2005) score of 20 or higher
* On dopamine-replacement therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

* History of seizures or epilepsy
* History of brain lesions (such as multiple sclerosis, tumor) reported
* History of vascular issues in the brain, such as stroke
* History of a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury
* Meeting the criteria for a major psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia or depression (BDI score of 14 or higher).
* Having significant cognitive impairment (assessed by MoCA, cutoff score of 20) (Nasreddine, et al., 2005)
* Having had TMS done in the recent past (within a year)
* Pregnancy assessed in female patients
* Intracranial metallic objects (except for dental fillings)
* Current use of substances or medications known to significantly reduce seizure threshold.
```

## Locations (1)

- West Virginia University Hospitals, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States _(39.6295, -79.9559)_
  - Mariya V Cherkasova, PhD — (CONTACT) — 2403673068 — mariya.cherkasova@mail.wvu.edu

## Central Contacts

- Mariya V Cherkasova, PhD — (CONTACT) — 2403673068 — mariya.cherkasova@mail.wvu.edu

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06237868*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06237868*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06237868*