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Electric brain zaps: a new hope for depression?

NCT ID NCT05598034

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tDCS for depression. Researchers use MRI scans to see how the stimulation affects brain networks. 144 adults with depression will receive either real or sham tDCS while performing a memory task. The goal is to find the best way to apply tDCS for future treatments.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
What this could lead to
If successful, this study could help design more effective, personalized tDCS treatments for depression without medication.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage study focused on brain activity, not on treating depression directly. It may not lead to a proven treatment.

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 144 people

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

Started

Oct 2022

Expected to finish

May 2028

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

20 to 55 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 between 20 to 55 years, inclusive 2. Gender: all 3. Race/ethnicity: all races and ethnic groups 4. Capacity to provide informed consent 5. Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of ≥17 and \<24, with or without symptoms of anxiety. 6. Treatment naïve or on a stable standard antidepressant regimen (including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MOAIs) or tricyclic's (TCAs)) with no change in treatment 6-weeks prior to and during the tDCS intervention. 7. Work at UCLA or live within 1-hr driving distance of UCLA Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnancy 2. Non-English speaking (due to scales administered) 3. Substance Use Disorder within last 12 months 4. Neurological condition associated with brain abnormalities (e.g., traumatic brain injury; recent stroke, tumor) 5. Any contraindication to tDCS (e.g., skin disease or treatment causing irritation) 6. Any condition that would contraindicate scanning (metal implants, claustrophobia or a breathing or movement disorder) 7. Currently receiving any form of psychotherapy 8. Change in antidepressant medication within 6-weeks of starting the trial 9. Severe or treatment resistant depression - HAMD scores \> 24 and a history of a major depressive episode lasting \>2- years or failure to 2 or more antidepressant trials in the current index episode 10. Any neuromodulation therapy (e.g., ECT, rTMS, DBS, VNS or tDCS) within the last 3-months 11. Current or past (within the last 1-month) use of anticonvulsants, lithium, psychostimulant, dexamphetamine 12. Current use of decongestants or other medication previously shown to interfere with cortical excitability 13. Diagnosis: Schizophrenia Axis I disorder, or dementia of any type 14. Bipolar I disorder (due to possible risk of mania and because lithium and anticonvulsants are excluded). 15. On regular benzodiazepine medication that it is not clinically appropriate to discontinue for the 2-week duration of the trial 16. Depression related to serious medical illness (i.e., mood disorder due to general medical condition) 17. Actively suicidal as defined by a score of 4 on item 3 of HAMD

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Major depressive disorder

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

  • University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)

    RECRUITING

    Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.