Suspended

rTMS for Fatigue and Brain Fog in Long-COVID

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What is being tested

rTMS

Device
Who is being recruted

COVID-19+20

+ Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome

+ Post-Infectious Disorders

Over 18 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Placebo-Controlled
Interventional
Study Start: January 2025
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Last updated: January 28, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: January 1, 2025

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

This clinical trial is exploring a treatment called rTMS, which stands for repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, to help people suffering from Long-COVID. Long-COVID can cause lingering symptoms like extreme tiredness, brain fog, and other mental health issues even after recovering from the initial COVID-19 infection. The study aims to see if rTMS can relieve these symptoms, making life easier for those affected. It targets individuals diagnosed with Long-COVID and hopes to provide useful information for future, larger studies. Participants in this study will be split into two groups. One group will receive the active rTMS treatment, while the other will receive a sham, or placebo-like, stimulation. Each group will undergo 15 treatment sessions, followed by 15 more sessions where all participants receive the active treatment. Researchers will monitor the safety and how well participants tolerate the rTMS compared to the sham treatment. They will also assess changes in symptoms such as fatigue, sleep issues, pain, mood, and cognitive impairment, both from the participants' perspectives and through objective measures.

Official TitleA Pilot Randomized Trial of rTMS for Fatigue and Brain Fog and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms of Long-COVID.
NCT06586398
Principal SponsorUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Last updated: January 28, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

10 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Treatment Study

These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.



Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

Over 18 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers not allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Conditions

Pathology

COVID-19Post-Acute COVID-19 SyndromePost-Infectious DisordersBehaviorBehavioral SymptomsChronic DiseaseCoronaviridae InfectionsFatigueMental FatigueInfectionsLung DiseasesPathologic ProcessesPneumoniaPneumonia, ViralRespiratory Tract DiseasesRespiratory Tract InfectionsRNA Virus InfectionsSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsVirus DiseasesCoronavirus InfectionsDisease AttributesNidovirales Infections

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: 1. 18+ years of age 2. Prior hx of PCR confirmed COVID-19 infection. Determined by the PI or participant's physician. 3. Subsequent development of post-acute neuropsychiatric symptoms with fatigue and brain fog as primary outcomes 4. USE of Psychotropic medications 5. Stable on psychotropic medications for 4+ months 6. Confirmed diagnosis of Long COVID 7. Subjects are willing and able to adhere to the treatment schedule and required study visits Exclusion Criteria: 1. Mentally or legally incapacitated or unable to give informed consent 2. MOCA \< or = 24 3. Infection of poor skin condition over the scalp where the rTMS device will be positioned 4. Pregnancy: Female participants will be tested for pregnancy at baseline and agree to use a medically acceptable form of birth control throughout the study, for women younger than 60. 5. Lifetime history of diagnosed bipolar disorder; psychosis, such as schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or schizoaffective disorder; intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder); organic brain damage; or suicide attempts in the past 24 months. 6. Severe MDD with suicidality of Psychosis- excluded 7. As-needed use of benzodiazepines and beta-blockers will be permitted but discouraged during assessment days. 8. Current abuse or dependence on alcohol or any illicit drug of abuse (disorder in last 6 months). Any recent use of cocaine or opiates will also be exclusionary. 9. Participants with asthma or with a history of serious, uncontrolled medical illness or instability (including significant cardio-pulmonary disease, organic brain including significant cardio-pulmonary syndrome, pre-existing dementia, seizure disorder, cerebrovascular disease, and diabetes) 10. Taking medications known to lower seizure thresholds (Clozaril/ Wellbutrin) 11. Neurological conditions that include epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, increased intracranial pressure, having a history of repetitive or severe head trauma, or primary or secondary tumors in the central nervous system. 12. Presence of an implanted metallic and magnetic-sensitive medical device present in the body scan, including but not limited to a cochlear implant, infusion pump, implanted cardioverter defibrillator, pacemaker, vagus nerve stimulator, aneurysm clip, metal prosthesis, or metal aneurysm clips or coils, staples, or stents.

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives

2 intervention groups are designated in this study

50% chance of being blinded to the placebo group

Treatment Groups

Group I

Sham
The rTMS magnet will be set to sham stimulation without the knowledge of the treating doctors or the research team.

Group II

Active Comparator
The rTMS magnet will be set to active stimulation without the knowledge of treating doctors or research team. Only one technician will know the randomization list assignment and will adjust the settings. rTMS treatment will include rTMS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), followed by rTMS to left primary motor cortex (M1).

Study Objectives

Primary Objectives

Secondary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

Suspended

UCLA Semel Institute

Los Angeles, United StatesOpen UCLA Semel Institute in Google Maps
SuspendedOne Study Center