Name
What Happened When CBIT was Combined with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)? Findings from Phase 1 of the CBIT+TMS Trial 
Date & Time
Friday, June 12, 2026
Sarah Hodapp Kretsch
Description

Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) is the first-line therapy for Tourette Syndrome (TS) but does not benefit all who try it. CBIT aims to improve tic controllability, such that modulation of neurocircuitry involved in motor inhibition may improve outcomes. The CBIT+TMS trial is a two-phase randomized controlled trial testing augmentation of CBIT with TMS to the supplementary motor area (SMA) in youth ages 12-21 years. In this presentation, Dr. Conelea will share the outcomes of phase 1. Participants (N = 50) received 10 daily treatments consisting of randomly assigned TMS regimens (1Hz, cTBS, or sham) immediately before a CBIT session. Primary outcomes focused on safety/tolerability, neural change using fMRI, and tic controllability using the video-based Tic Suppression Task. The overall pattern of results suggest that TMS is safe, feasible, and impacts connectivity of cortical-striatal circuitry implicated in TS. Implications and phase 2 study design will be discussed.