Zapping the brain to rewire OCD fear circuits
NCT ID NCT06834217
First seen Oct 31, 2025 · Last updated Jun 22, 2026 · Updated 27 times
Summary
This study at Yale investigates how people with OCD process fear and safety signals in the brain. Researchers will use mild electrical stimulation (tDCS) to see if it can improve fear extinction learning, which is key to exposure therapy. 180 adults with OCD will undergo brain scans and skin conductance tests while learning to distinguish threatening from safe cues. The goal is to understand the brain circuits involved and whether tDCS can normalize them.
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Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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Contacts and locations
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Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
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Contact
Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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Temple Medical Center
RECRUITINGNew Haven, Connecticut, 06511, United States
Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
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What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
Active substance
transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could point toward a non-invasive brain stimulation technique to enhance exposure therapy for OCD.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage mechanistic study, not a treatment trial. The results may not translate into a clinical therapy, and tDCS effects can be subtle or inconsistent.
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.