Source first posted October 23, 2026: ClinicalTrials.gov registration NCT07892287 from Massachusetts General Hospital.

What the pilot will test The planned study will randomize an estimated 20 adults with major depressive disorder to one of three open-label groups: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation alone, alpha-down EEG neurofeedback alone, or the two approaches combined. The registry lists the study as not yet recruiting, with an estimated January 2027 start. No participants, outcomes or safety results are available.

Each group is scheduled for five weekday sessions. Neurofeedback participants will practice downregulating 8 to 12 Hz alpha activity for about 20 minutes using signals recorded at Pz, A1 and A2. In the combined group, neurofeedback is planned about 30 minutes after left-prefrontal rTMS.

A feasibility question first The primary outcome is feasibility and tolerability over six days, assessed through session completion, adverse-event frequency and participant satisfaction. Depression, rumination, emotion regulation, attentional control and EEG alpha power and connectivity are secondary or exploratory outcomes. With 20 estimated participants across three groups and no masking, any clinical pattern would need cautious interpretation and replication.

Why it is worth following The design asks a useful integration question: can feedback-based practice be delivered alongside stimulation in a practical short course, and does the sequence produce a signal worth testing in a larger controlled study? It also keeps neurofeedback, which records and returns information from EEG, distinct from rTMS, which delivers magnetic pulses. Combining modalities does not establish that their effects are additive or better.

Equipment and regulatory context The registry names EEGer 4.4.0 for neurofeedback and a MagVenture device for rTMS. Those details document the planned protocol, not comparative product performance or endorsement. The registry marks the work as involving an FDA-regulated device and an unapproved device. That entry is a study-registration disclosure, not an FDA authorization or evidence of benefit.

Funding and interests Massachusetts General Hospital is the lead sponsor and the principal investigator is the responsible party. The registry does not list study results or a separate funding collaborator. Future reporting will need to disclose enrollment, attrition, adverse events, protocol fidelity and all relevant financial relationships.

Disclosure This is coverage of a planned open-label pilot, not a treatment recommendation or efficacy report. Prepared with AI assistance; the exact ClinicalTrials.gov record was checked November 4, 2026. The image is an AI-generated conceptual planning scene with fictional people. It does not depict the study, equipment, measured EEG, a procedure or an outcome.