---
title: Reduce apathy and boost motivation
nct_id: NCT07399496
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07399496"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07399496"
last_fetched: "2026-05-10T14:04:48.717Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Reduce apathy and boost motivation

**Goal (in five words):** Reduce apathy and boost motivation

**Official Title:** Accelerated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for Apathy in Parkinson's Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT07399496](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07399496)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** Medical University of South Carolina
- **Target Enrollment:** 15 participants
- **Start Date:** 2026-06-01
- **Completion Date:** 2027-03-01
- **Conditions:** Parkinson Disease
- **Interventions:** Accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) rTMS to left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC)
- **Intervention Types:** DEVICE

## Summary For Families

Aiming to ease apathy in Parkinson's, the trial targets the lack of motivation and reduced initiative that many people experience and which often do not improve with standard motor medications. It uses accelerated intermittent theta-burst repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, a noninvasive series of magnetic pulses aimed at the left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex to boost activity in a brain region tied to motivation; sessions are given multiple times per day to try to speed benefit, and the therapy is added without changing your Parkinson's medications. Participants should be 45 to 85 years old, have significant apathy (AES, Apathy Evaluation Scale, ≥37), be on stable PD medications, and have a caregiver informant; people with severe cognitive impairment (MoCA <21), seizure history, certain psychiatric disorders, MRI/TMS contraindications, or pregnancy are excluded.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 45 Years
- **Maximum age:** 85 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 45-85
* Diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease
* AES ≥37
* Stable PD medications
* Caregiver informant available

Exclusion Criteria:

* MRI/TMS contraindications
* Severe cognitive impairment (MoCA \<21)
* Psychiatric disorders (bipolar, schizophrenia, active substance use disorder)
* Seizure history
* Acute suicidality as assessed by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) or suicide attempt in the previous year
* Pregnancy
```

## Locations (1)

- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States _(32.7763, -79.9327)_
  - Emily Laramie Study Coordinator — (CONTACT) — +18437923873 — laramie@musc.edu
  - Daniel Lench, PhD — (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07399496*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07399496*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07399496*