Could a Head-Zapping device lift teen depression?
NCT ID NCT07185451
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This pilot study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tACS can help teens (ages 12-18) with major depression when added to their usual medication. Thirty participants will receive either real or sham stimulation daily for several weeks. The goal is to see if tACS speeds up symptom relief and improves mood and thinking, while also checking for side effects.
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 point toward a safe, non-invasive add-on treatment to help teens with depression feel better faster.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (30 people) with no placebo control for the device. It is too early to know if tACS truly helps, and side effects are still being assessed.
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 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2025
- Expected to finish
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Oct 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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12 to 18 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.
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. Age 12-18 years. 2. Meet DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for a current depressive episode, as confirmed by the K-SADS-PL. 3. Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) score ≥40 at baseline. 4. Stable psychotropic medication treatment for at least 4 weeks prior to enrollment and willingness to continue the same regimen throughout the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Psychiatric comorbidities other than anxiety disorders. 2. Depression with psychotic features. 3. Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score \>13. 4. History of neurological disorders (e.g., epilepsy, traumatic brain injury) or severe physical illnesses (e.g., thyroid disease, lupus, diabetes, significant liver, kidney, or lung impairment, major trauma). 5. Previous treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), tACS, or other neurostimulation therapies. 6. Current use of antiepileptic drugs or high-dose benzodiazepines. 7. History of alcohol or substance abuse or dependence. 8. Pregnant or breastfeeding females. 9. Contraindications to MRI. 10. Current high suicide risk.
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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 First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University
RECRUITINGChongqing, Chongqing Municipality, 40000, China
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