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Could a gentle brain current lift teen depression without drugs?

NCT ID NCT07185464

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This pilot study tests whether a non-invasive device that sends a mild alternating current to the brain (tACS) can safely ease depression symptoms in 30 teenagers who have never taken antidepressants. Participants will receive daily sessions over several weeks, and researchers will track mood and anxiety changes. The goal is to see if this drug-free approach can help speed up recovery.

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 drug-free treatment option for teenagers with first-episode depression.
What could go wrong
This is a very small pilot study (30 people) with no phase, so results are preliminary. It may not show clear benefit or could have unknown side effects.

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

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

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Oct 2025

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Oct 2026

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

12 to 18 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

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.Subjects met the diagnostic criteria for depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as determined by the Childhood Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Questionnaire (K-SADS-PL) and were currently in a depressive episode; 3.Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) score ≥ 40 points; 4.Not receiving any antidepressant medication during the current depressive episode. Exclusion Criteria: 1.Other comorbid mental disorders in accordance with DSM-5 except anxiety disorders; 2.Depression with psychotic symptoms; 3.Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) \> 13; 4.History of neurological disease (such as epilepsy, brain trauma, etc.) or serious physical disease (such as thyroid disease, lupus erythematosus, diabetes, lung, liver and kidney damage, major trauma, etc.); 5.Previous treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), tACS or other neurostimulation treatments; 6.Patients currently receiving anti-epileptic drugs or high-dose benzodiazepines; 7.History of alcohol or drug abuse or dependence; 8.Breastfeeding women or pregnant women; 9.Contraindications to MRI; 10.Currently at high risk of suicide.

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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.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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

  • The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University

    Chongqing, Chongqing Municipality, 40000, China

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