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Zapping the Brain's 'Self' switch: can 10 hz current help schizophrenia?

NCT ID NCT07818668

Symptom relief Sponsor: Chunyan Zhu Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 14, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

Researchers test whether a non-invasive brain stimulation called tACS can help people with schizophrenia better tell themselves apart from others. The trial delivers 10 Hz current to the medial prefrontal cortex for 20 minutes daily over five days. Participants include patients with schizophrenia, people with high schizotypal traits, and healthy volunteers. The study measures changes in face recognition accuracy and brain alpha waves, and compares active stimulation with a sham version.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 10 Hz targeting the medial prefrontal cortex
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to ease a core self-disturbance in schizophrenia and improve social functioning.
What could go wrong
The trial is small and early, so any benefit may be modest or fade. tACS is generally well tolerated, but scalp tingling, itching, or headache can occur.

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

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Mar 2026

Expected to finish

Sep 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

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 50 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: * Diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-5 criteria * Presence of hallucinations or delusions * Age between 18 and 50 years * Clinically stable on a stable dose of antipsychotic medication for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment, with no anticipated medication changes during the study period * Normal or corrected-to-normal vision (≥ 20/40) as assessed by standard visual acuity test * Able to understand and provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * History of neurological disorders (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury) * Presence of other major psychiatric disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder) * Previous receipt of non-invasive brain stimulation (e.g., tACS, tDCS, rTMS) * History of substance dependence or abuse within the past 6 months * Metal implants in the head or skull (e.g., cochlear implants, deep brain stimulators) * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Presence of skin lesions, wounds, or sensitive skin at electrode placement sites (Fpz, AF7, AF8, F5, F6)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Psychotic Disorders schizophrenia

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Schizophrenia / schizoaffective disorder

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • The Fourth People's Hospital of Hefei

    RECRUITING

    Hefei, Anhui, China

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