Brain boost: exercise and zaps may sharpen mind in tough schizophrenia cases
NCT ID NCT07404319
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether aerobic exercise, alone or with a gentle brain stimulation technique called tDCS, can improve thinking and memory in people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. About 160 participants will be assigned to exercise, tDCS plus exercise, or a control group for 6 weeks. The goal is to see if these approaches can ease cognitive symptoms that often limit daily life.
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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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About 160 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Feb 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
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 60 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: * DSM 5 schizophrenia-spectrum disorders * Treatment resistant schizophrenia: inadequate response to ≥2 antipsychotics of adequate dose/duration * Clinically stable ≥4 weeks * Able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Neurological disorder (e.g., epilepsy, stroke) or significant head injury * Implanted electronic devices / contraindications to tDCS; scalp lesions at electrode sites * Medical contraindications to moderate aerobic exercise * Substance dependence within 3 months (except nicotine) * Pregnancy
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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 University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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