Clinical trial · Observational
Does Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Cingulate Cortex Modulate the Perception of Dyspnoea?
A Randomised Crossover Study to Investigate the Effect of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex on "Air Hunger"
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Why stopped (as posted): Lack of patients
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The treatment we are studying is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). In TMS, an electromagnetic pulse is passed into the brain through a coil placed on the head. Previous studies have shown TMS to be capable of altering brain activity in specific areas; for example it has been used to improve mood in clinical depression. In this study we will assess if, by targeting TMS to the brain area responsible for feeling breathless, participants' breathlessness will be improved
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malignancy | Malignant Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation | Device | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (1)
- label
- 1
- description
- Patients will be identified from the Oxford Pleural Clinic and from referrals within the multi-disciplinary team including palliative care and oncology services. Screening criteria are based on normal practice and consecutive eligible patients will be offered trial entry. The principal investigator or a nominated member of staff will approach participants who fulfil the criteria for inclusion in the study. Screening logs will be kept.
- interventionNames
- Device: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Primary outcomes (0)
[]Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Refractory dyspnoea (persisting sensation of air hunger despite optimisation of medical treatment) 2. Histocytologically proven thoracic malignancy 3. Written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: 1. Age \<18 years 2. Left-handed 3. Structural brain disease (including cerebral metastasis) 4. Personal or family history of seizures 5. Implantable metallic objects e.g. a pacemaker, or other contraindication to transcranial magnetic stimulation 6. Pregnant or breast feeding 7. Previous electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) 8. Poor mobility 9. Visual impairment 10. Lack of social support / home to go to after the study treatment 11. Alcohol dependency 12. PaCO2 \>6kPa at rest 13. Inability to provide informed consent
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available