Neuromodulation with transcranial pulse stimulation of the anterior insula cortex and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in healthy adults: a randomized, single-blind, three-arm, sham-controlled, pilot trial
NCT ID NCT06635161
First seen Sep 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026
Summary
Transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) is a newly developed non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) technique from Austria \& Germany with highly promising applicability in neuropsychiatric disorders. Clinical trials have shown a beneficial effect of TPS in patients with Alzheimer\'s disease and depression. Although TPS has the capability to noninvasively target deeper brain regions such as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula cortex (AIC), no TPS study has been conducted to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of dACC or AIC stimulation. Here, a randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled clinical pilot trial is proposed to probe the effects of TPS over bilateral dACC and AIC on modulating cognitive, behavioral and emotional functions and functional connectivity of brain circuits.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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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
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75 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2024
- Finished
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Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 to 65 * Biological and mental health, based on a clinical interview * Able to understand and follow instructions by the study team Exclusion Criteria: * Major internal diseases, neurological disorders, or mental disorders * Having a metal implant in the brain * Corticosteroid treatment within 6 weeks prior to inclusion * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Common NIBS and MRI exclusion criteria, such as a history of brain surgery, cardiac pacemaker, deep brain stimulation, and intracranial metallic particles * Previous TPS experience * Color blindness
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hong Kong, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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