Trial results for a study investigating Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for veterans with PTSD were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2026-02-20, showing a mean PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) score of 30.8 and a mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score of 10.4 for participants.
Background
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. It is particularly prevalent among veterans, often leading to significant distress and impairment in daily functioning. Current treatments for PTSD include psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, but not all individuals achieve full remission or optimal response. Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) offer structured, comprehensive treatment, and there is ongoing research into adjunctive therapies like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to enhance their effectiveness and improve patient outcomes.
Trial design
This completed study, identified as Phase NA, enrolled 6 participants with PTSD. The trial aimed to determine whether complementing regular intensive PTSD treatment with intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) applied to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) could improve treatment response for individuals attending a 2-week intensive outpatient program (IOP) for PTSD.
Key results
The trial results include key measurements for participants who received Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS):
- For the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the mean score was 30.8 with a Standard Deviation of 26.9.
- For the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the mean score was 10.4 with a Standard Deviation of 9.1.
What this means
The posted results provide specific outcome measures for a small group of veterans with PTSD who received TMS as an adjunct to an intensive outpatient program. The mean PCL-5 score of 30.8 and PHQ-9 score of 10.4 represent the average symptom severity observed in these participants post-treatment. While these numbers offer a snapshot of the treatment's impact in this specific cohort, the small sample size of 6 participants means that these findings are preliminary and require further investigation in larger, controlled studies to determine the broader efficacy and generalizability of TMS in improving PTSD treatment response.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT06271733, titled "TMS for Veterans Attending a 2-week Intensive Outpatient Program for PTSD", were posted on 2026-02-20 on clinicaltrials.gov.