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Brain zap tunes heart and gut: new hope for depression?

NCT ID NCT06748274

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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

Summary

This completed study tested whether noninvasive brain stimulation can be personalized by measuring heart rate responses. Researchers mapped the scalp to find the best spot for stimulation in 34 healthy participants and people with depression, anxiety, and gut issues. They compared two techniques—TMS and tDCS—and measured heart, gut, and sweat responses. The goal is to make depression treatment more effective and accessible.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS)
What this could lead to
If successful, this could lead to more personalized and effective brain stimulation treatments for depression by targeting the right spot on the scalp.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study in healthy volunteers and a few people with symptoms. The approach may not work in larger, more diverse groups or improve depression outcomes.

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

34 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2025

Finished

Dec 2025

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 65 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.

In study arm 1, all participants are healthy between 18 and 65 years of age, and able to give written informed consent. In study arm 2, all participants must be between 18 and 65 years of age and additionally fulfill the following criteria: * Elevated autonomic symptom score (\> 20) on the Composite Autonomic Symptom Score * Depressive symptoms indicated by an elevated score (\>5) in the Patient Health Care Questionnaire (PHQ-9?) or elevated scores (\>9) in the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). * Elevated Score on Selected questions of the Subchapter "symptoms in the Stomach or Intestines" of the "Rome IV Diagnostic Questionnaire for Adult Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (Drossman, D. A. (Ed.). (2016). Rome IV: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders - Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction (4th ed.). Rome Foundation) For both arms, the following criteria must be fulfilled: * Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing. * Willingness to participate and signed informed consent * No Medication with cognitive side effects (e.g. psychoactive medications or sleeping pills) or medication affecting gastric motility * No ectopic heartbeat * No history of epilepsy or seizure * No metal implants or devices (e.g. cardiac pacemakers) * No substance abuse or recent drug consumption * No pregnancy * No history of brain- heart- or gastrointestinal surgery * No skin conditions * BMI \<30

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Depression dysautonomia dyspepsia functional gastric disease major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Autonomous dysfunction Functional dyspepsia Major depression

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bern

    Bern, Canton of Bern, 3000, Switzerland

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