Could a gentle brain zapper ease anxiety and help you sleep?
NCT ID NCT07429578
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study is testing a device that sends a mild electrical current to the brain (tACS) to see if it can reduce anxiety and improve sleep in people with generalized anxiety disorder and chronic insomnia. Thirty adults will receive 20 sessions over four weeks. The goal is to gather early evidence for a larger, more rigorous trial.
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 non-drug treatment for anxiety and insomnia.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early pilot study with no placebo group, so results may not be reliable. The device is experimental and not yet proven.
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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Jun 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2026
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 65 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 between 18 and 65 years; Diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria; Diagnosis of chronic primary insomnia; Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) score ≥15 at screening, indicating at least moderate anxiety severity; Score \>5 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); Stable use of antidepressants (SSRI or SNRI) is allowed; Limited use of benzodiazepines (maximum of 10 mg/day diazepam equivalent). Exclusion Criteria: History of mania, hypomania, or bipolar disorder; Contraindications to the use of transcranial stimulation; Active suicidal ideation or suicide attempt in the last 4 weeks; Refractoriness to 3 or more antidepressant treatments; Pregnancy; Other psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., schizophrenia, substance dependence, major depressive disorder); Severe medical or neurological conditions; Anxiety or insomnia secondary to other medical or psychiatric conditions (e.g., hypothyroidism, anemia).
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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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University of São Paulo
RECRUITINGSão Paulo, São Paulo, 05403-010, Brazil
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