Zapping the Brain's 'Self' switch: can 10 hz current help schizophrenia?
NCT ID NCT07818668
First seen Sep 14, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
Researchers test whether a non-invasive brain stimulation called tACS can help people with schizophrenia better tell themselves apart from others. The trial delivers 10 Hz current to the medial prefrontal cortex for 20 minutes daily over five days. Participants include patients with schizophrenia, people with high schizotypal traits, and healthy volunteers. The study measures changes in face recognition accuracy and brain alpha waves, and compares active stimulation with a sham version.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 10 Hz targeting the medial prefrontal cortex
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to ease a core self-disturbance in schizophrenia and improve social functioning.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is small and early, so any benefit may be modest or fade. tACS is generally well tolerated, but scalp tingling, itching, or headache can occur.
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
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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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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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 50 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-5 criteria * Presence of hallucinations or delusions * Age between 18 and 50 years * Clinically stable on a stable dose of antipsychotic medication for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment, with no anticipated medication changes during the study period * Normal or corrected-to-normal vision (≥ 20/40) as assessed by standard visual acuity test * Able to understand and provide written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * History of neurological disorders (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury) * Presence of other major psychiatric disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder) * Previous receipt of non-invasive brain stimulation (e.g., tACS, tDCS, rTMS) * History of substance dependence or abuse within the past 6 months * Metal implants in the head or skull (e.g., cochlear implants, deep brain stimulators) * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Presence of skin lesions, wounds, or sensitive skin at electrode placement sites (Fpz, AF7, AF8, F5, F6)
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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The Fourth People's Hospital of Hefei
RECRUITINGHefei, Anhui, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can personal stories heal the stigma of schizophrenia?
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- Can mindfulness ease psychosis in teens and young adults?