Could a Head-Zap device cut seizures at home?
NCT ID NCT04309812
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This small study tested whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tDCS can be used safely at home to reduce seizures in people with epilepsy. Four adults with hard-to-control seizures used the device daily for several weeks. Researchers tracked seizure counts, severity, and brain activity to see if the treatment helped.
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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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4 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2021
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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 100 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: * Age 18-100, inclusive. * Has a clinical diagnosis of epilepsy * Has at least 4 countable seizures per month * Has not had control with at least 2 anti-seizure medicines * Able to maintain a constant medication for duration of the study (rescue meds allowed) * Subject or legally authorized representative is able to understand consent and keep a seizure diary in English Exclusion Criteria: * A disease likely to progress over course of the study * Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures * Suicide attempt or psychiatric hospitalization past 2 years * A skin condition interfering with scalp electrodes or allergy to silver * Women will verify not pregnant, and if applicable, have a serum pregnancy test
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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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Stanford Hospital
Stanford, California, 94305-5235, United States
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Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, California, 94305-5235, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can video games rewire young brains after injury?
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- Epilepsy drug candidate put to the test in healthy volunteers