Can a gentle brain current calm severe OCD?
NCT ID NCT03284671
First seen Sep 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can reduce symptoms in people with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder that has not improved with standard medications. The study enrolls 20 adults aged 18 to 70 who have chronic OCD and have tried at least two antidepressants without success. Participants receive 10 sessions of tDCS, each lasting 30 minutes, with electrodes placed on two brain regions: the orbitofrontal cortex and the supplementary motor area. The goal is to see if this approach improves OCD symptoms and whether any benefits last.
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 it works, this could offer a non-invasive treatment option for people whose OCD has not responded to standard medications.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with 20 participants, so any benefits may not hold up in larger trials. tDCS can cause mild scalp discomfort, and the long-term effects on OCD are unknown.
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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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20 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2016
- Finished
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May 2017
- 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 70 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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.
Patients must present all of the following criteria in order to be eligible: Inclusion Criteria: * Meets criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder according to DSM-IV with a "good insight" (BABS), * Age: Participants will be both males and females, 18-70 years of age included. * No current depressive and suicidal risks, * No epileptic pathology, * Chronic evolution ( Total Y-BOCS\>20 ), * Obsessive compulsive disorder resistant to pharmacology treatment, at least 2 antidepressants (type IRS) or cognitive and comportment therapy since at least one year, * Stability treatment (antidepressants) for more than 12 weeks without significant improvement, * Affiliation to a social security system (recipient or assignee), * Signed written inform consent form. Exclusion Criteria: * Female subject who is pregnant, or of child-bearing age, sexually active and not using reliable contraception or who is nursing, * Patient under curators * Meets another diagnosis of axe 1 of DSM-IV, * Current depressive or suicidal risks, * Patient with a benzodiazepine treatment, * Patient with any form of metal in the cranium, a pacemaker, skull defects, or skin lesions to the scalp (cuts, abrasions, rash) , * Epileptic patient, * Patient with a medical history of cranial trauma, * Patient unable to give his or hers informed consent.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Centre Hospitalier Henri Laborit
Poitiers, 86021, France