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Brain zaps show promise for ADHD focus

NCT ID NCT04175028

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tested whether a mild electrical current applied to the scalp (tDCS) could temporarily improve attention and self-control in adults with ADHD. 83 people, including those with ADHD and healthy volunteers, completed tasks measuring focus and decision-making while receiving the stimulation. The goal was to see if this non-invasive technique could help the brain work better in the short term.

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-drug method to temporarily boost attention and impulse control in people with ADHD.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study testing only short-term effects. The results may not lead to a practical treatment, and tDCS effects can vary widely between individuals.

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

83 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2014

Finished

Jun 2018

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 66 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 1. Male and female subjects 18-66 years of age 2. Healthy volunteers or volunteers with a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood, meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) \[American Psychiatric Association, 2013\] criteria, including at least 5 moderate inattentive or impulsive-hyperactive symptoms, and onset of two symptoms of inattentive or of impulsive/hyperactive traits by the age of 12. 3. Patient will be either off stimulant medications or, if undergoing treatment with stimulants, will be asked to discontinue two days prior to the experiment, under physician-guided protocol, and allowed to resume afterwards. Subjects may resume stimulant use between the two study visits so long as they discontinue use two days prior to the second study visit. If fatigue is problematic in subjects discontinuing medication, they will be allowed to continue with the study if they are able to follow the suggested taper plan (50% of the dose day one, 25% dose day 2, stop day of visit (day 3)). 4. English-speaking Exclusion Criteria 1. Current or past history of clinically unstable psychiatric conditions such as suicidal or homicidal behavior or psychotic disorders. 2. Pregnant or nursing females. 3. Inability to participate in testing procedures 4. Contraindication to tDCS: history or epilepsy, metallic implants in the head and neck, brain stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, VP shunt, pacemakers, pregnancy. 5. Additional exclusion criteria for healthy controls: 1. Diagnosis of psychiatric of neurological disorder 2. Ongoing treatment with any psychotropic medications.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, inattentive type attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02129, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.