Can a zapping cap restore joy in depressed seniors?
NCT ID NCT07637773
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tACS to treat anhedonia (loss of interest or pleasure) in people aged 60 and older with major depression. Eighty participants will receive either real or sham stimulation over two weeks, with follow-up at three months. The goal is to see if personalized stimulation can improve mood and pleasure, and understand how it works in the brain.
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) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new non-drug treatment for anhedonia in older adults with depression, improving mood and quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage study with only 80 participants. The effects may be small or temporary, and not everyone may benefit. Brain stimulation can cause mild discomfort or headache.
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 80 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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Dec 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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60 years and older
- 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.
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) Patients were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) - Clinical Version (SCID-5-CV) to confirm that they met the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for "major depressive disorder"; (2) Age ≥ 60 years; gender not restricted; (3) Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD)-17 score \> 24 Exclusion Criteria: \- (1) History of severe head trauma or serious neurological conditions such as epilepsy; (2) Any brain devices or implants, including cochlear implants and aneurysm clips; treatments such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). (3) Individuals who have undergone other physical modulation therapies within the past 8 weeks, including but not limited to non-convulsive electroconvulsive therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and transcranial direct current stimulation.
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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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Tianjin Anding Hospital
RECRUITINGTianjin, Tianjin Municipality, 300222, China
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