---
title: Test brain stimulation for thinking
nct_id: NCT07701785
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07701785"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07701785"
last_fetched: "2026-07-14T14:00:05.329Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Test brain stimulation for thinking

**Goal (in five words):** Test brain stimulation for thinking

**Official Title:** Accelerated Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease

**Trial ID:** [NCT07701785](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07701785)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** Medical University of South Carolina
- **Target Enrollment:** 30 participants
- **Start Date:** 2026-08-01
- **Completion Date:** 2028-02-01
- **Conditions:** Parkinson Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment
- **Interventions:** Accelerated intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) rTMS to right superior parietal lobule (rSPL)
- **Intervention Types:** DEVICE

## Summary For Families

The goal is to see whether a short, high-dose course of noninvasive brain stimulation, called intermittent theta burst stimulation or iTBS, is a promising, safe, and tolerable way to treat mild thinking problems in Parkinson's. The treatment uses an accelerated version of iTBS delivered over three days to a right-side brain area called the superior parietal lobule, giving 18,000 pulses total; researchers chose this target because loss of key brain chemicals in the back of the brain is strongly linked to cognitive decline and that area helps attention. Before testing whether it improves thinking, the study is focused on showing the three-day, 18,000-pulse approach is safe, tolerable, and feasible in people with Parkinson's and mild cognitive impairment. They are looking for people 50 to 85 years old with a clinical Parkinson's diagnosis and mild cognitive impairment confirmed by a neuropsychologist (low scores on two tests), who have been on stable Parkinson's medicines for at least 30 days and have a caregiver able to complete a questionnaire.

## What This Actually Involves

**Placebo** _(From the protocol)_: Everyone in this trial receives the experimental treatment. There is no placebo group.

**Visits** _(From the protocol)_: Stimulation sessions take place over three consecutive days, with 10 sessions each day.
  > "Stimulation sessions will occur over three consecutive days. Each day will include 10 sessions separated by 10-15 min."

**Procedures** _(Ask the coordinator)_: Ask the coordinator what tests and procedures are involved, for example blood draws, scans, or questionnaires, and whether any are uncomfortable or invasive.

**Washout** _(Ask the coordinator)_: Ask the coordinator whether you would need to stop or pause any of your current medications before or during the study (a washout period), and for how long.

**Travel & reimbursement** _(Ask the coordinator)_: Ask the coordinator whether travel, parking, or your time is reimbursed or compensated, and what is covered.

_Fields marked “From the protocol” come from the trial's registry record or quoted protocol text. Fields marked “Ask the coordinator” are not reliably available and should be confirmed directly._

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 50 Years
- **Maximum age:** 85 Years
- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* 50-85 years of age
* Diagnosis of Parkinson's disease based on UK Brain Bank diagnostic criteria
* Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) diagnosis per Movement Disorders Society Task Force Level II Diagnostic Criteria4 (i.e., scores ≥1.5 standard deviations below appropriate norms on 2 neuropsychological tests) as determined by a clinical neuropsychologist
* Stable on Parkinson's disease medications for 30 days (not expected to change through the course of the treatment)
* Has a caregiver willing and able to reliably complete a questionnaire focused on the participant's daily functioning

Exclusion Criteria:

* Claustrophobia or inability to lie supine in the scanner for an extended period of time
* Barriers to making contact between the TMS coil and the skin (e.g. braids that cannot be removed)
* Contraindications to MRI/TMS safety screening: This includes but is not limited to implanted medical devices (e.g., pacemakers), metallic objects or fragments, non-removable hair clips or piercings, and medications that reduce seizure threshold.
* Individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and/or active substance abuse disorder.
* History of significant or unstable condition/s or treatments for these condition/s that may impact cognition (as determined by the study investigators) such as significant cardiac (e.g. heart failure), infectious (e.g. HIV, urinary tract infection), or metabolic disease (e.g. labile diabetes), cancer (e.g. brain cancer, chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment), developmental disorder (e.g. autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability), or other neurologic disease (e.g. multiple sclerosis, moderate to severe brain injury, seizures).
* History of a seizure disorder.
```

## Locations (1)

- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States _(32.7763, -79.9327)_
  - Sam Crowley, PhD, (CONTACT), 843-792-7767, crowleys@musc.edu

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07701785*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT07701785*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07701785*