Brain zaps without surgery: new hope for OCD?
NCT ID NCT05994053
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests a new, non-invasive brain stimulation method for people with OCD. It uses mild electrical currents guided by brain wave recordings to target a key brain region. The goal is to reduce OCD symptoms quickly and safely, with effects lasting up to three months. The trial involves 90 adults with OCD.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS) device
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide a new, well-tolerated treatment option for OCD that works quickly and has few side effects.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 90 participants. The effects may not last long-term or work for everyone, and the approach is still experimental.
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 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2024
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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) a primary DSM-5 diagnosis of OCD, (2) a score of 16 or greater on the YBOCS (3) at least 18 years of age; and (4) willingness and ability to provide informed consent and comply with the requirements of the study protocol. Exclusion Criteria: (1) a lifetime history of bipolar or psychotic disorders; (2) history of Tourette syndrome; (3) psychosurgery; (4) substance abuse or dependence (other than nicotine) in the past 3 months; (5) organic brain syndrome, mental retardation or other potentially interfering cognitive dysfunction; (6) severe depression (MADRS score of 30 or greater); (7) suicidal risk as determined by moderate or greater score on the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS); (8) pregnancy or lactation; (9) changes to pharmacotherapy for OCD or the initiation of cognitive-behavior therapy within the last 3 months; and (10) specific to the tACS and EEG procedures no metal implants in head, any implanted electronic devices, any skin sensitivity, color blindness or impaired vision despite correction, claustrophobia, and any history of epilepsy or neurological disorder.
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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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Boston University Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (BU-CARD)
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Watching the brain and body during OCD triggers: a window into the disorder
- Can continued therapy keep OCD symptoms at bay?
- Sound waves to the brain: a new hope for Tough-to-Treat OCD?
- Retraining the brain: could a Thought-Focused app ease OCD?
- Could a single brain target treat depression, anxiety, and OCD at once?
- Morning light may ease OCD symptoms in night owls