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Could a tiny jolt to the brain sharpen the mind in schizophrenia?

NCT ID NCT04267003

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of California, Davis 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study explores whether a gentle electrical current applied to the scalp (tDCS) can improve attention, learning, and memory in people with schizophrenia. Researchers will compare stimulation during a task versus rest, and front versus back of the head. They will also measure brain chemicals like GABA. The goal is to gather knowledge, not to treat the condition directly.

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) device
What this could lead to
If results are positive, this could pave the way for larger studies to see if tDCS becomes a helpful treatment for cognitive problems in schizophrenia.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage, non-treatment study not designed to cure or treat schizophrenia. The effects of tDCS on cognition are still uncertain, and any benefits may not hold up in larger trials.

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 160 people

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

Started

Jan 2020

Expected to finish

Aug 2026

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 47 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * Participants must be able to sufficiently speak and understand English so as to be able to understand and complete cognitive tasks. * All subjects must have the ability to give valid informed consent. Inclusion Criteria for Patients with Schizophrenia Only: * Diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorder * No medication changes in the prior month * No medication changes anticipated in the upcoming month * Stable outpatient or partial hospital status * Normal IQ (\>70; IQ will be measured by administering the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of * Intelligence (WASI) test) * Must not be currently taking the antipsychotic clozapine Exclusion Criteria: * Pacemakers * Implanted electrical (brain and spinal) stimulators * Implanted defibrillator * Metallic implants * Skin damage or skin conditions such as eczema at the sites where electrodes will be placed * Hair styles hindering the placement of electrodes * Cranial pathologies * Head trauma * Epilepsy * Mental retardation * Any known history of neurological disorders (including epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, cerebral palsy, any DSM-5 axis I psychiatric disorder (for healthy control subjects), autism) * Uncorrected vision problems that would hinder cognitive testing (this also pertains to subjects with color blindness in tasks where discriminating colored objects/items is necessary for successful performance) * Pregnancy * Substance dependence in the past six months * Substance abuse in the past month

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

schizoaffective disorder schizophrenia schizophreniform disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Schizophrenia

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

  • Imaging Research Center

    RECRUITING

    Sacramento, California, 95817, United States

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