Cure My Disease

Don't miss your cure!

 Log in / Sign up

Can zapping the Brain's diaphragm center help COPD breathing?

NCT ID NCT07831629

NEW Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Federal University of Paraíba Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 21, 2026 · Last updated Sep 21, 2026

Summary

Researchers are testing whether high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) changes brain blood flow and breathing muscle strength in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Twenty participants receive three 20-minute sessions of brain stimulation, each with a different electrical polarity or a placebo. The team measures brain oxygen levels with near-infrared spectroscopy and checks breathing muscle strength before, during, and after stimulation. The goal is to understand how this brain stimulation affects the brain and breathing, not to prove it treats COPD.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a non-drug way to support breathing muscles in people with COPD by targeting the brain region that controls the diaphragm.
What could go wrong
This is a small pilot study of 20 people testing immediate brain and breathing responses, not long-term benefit. The stimulation may produce no meaningful change, and results in this selected group may not apply to all people with COPD.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

20 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Oct 2023

Finished

Apr 2024

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age over 18 years old; * Airflow limitation mild to severe (GOLD 1-3); * No contraindications for HD-tDCS, such as pregnancy, metal implants in the head, cochlear implants and pacemaker; * Absence of concomitant diseases of the central or peripheral nervous system. Exclusion Criteria: * Refusal to sign the TCLE; * Missing two consecutive or three alternate sessions during treatment; * Develop any disabling condition that prevents continued participation in the study.

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are added.

Our safety recommendation!

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Aging and Neuroscience Studies Laboratory

    João Pessoa, Brazil

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.