Brain zaps may ease autism symptoms in teens
NCT ID NCT05492032
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a gentle brain stimulation technique called tDCS in 150 teens with autism. The goal is to see if it can improve social skills, thinking, and behavior, and whether extra 'booster' sessions help the effects last longer. Participants will receive multiple sessions of tDCS and be monitored for changes in social responsiveness and safety.
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 150 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Jun 2022
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 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 21 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 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: * Individuals who are confirmed by a clinical psychologist based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th Ed (DSM-V) criteria of Autism spectrum disorder and structured interview with their parents or primary caregivers on their developmental history using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). * Individuals with ASD who are comorbid with ADHD symptoms will be included if they were willing to abstain from the use of these medications at least 96 hours before the commencement, until the completion, of the treatment. * In view of the fact that neuroadaptation to antipsychotics typically occurs within six months, potential participants who are prescribed antipsychotic medications will only be included if the dosage of the medication remained unchanged for six months or more before the experimental period. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals without a confirmed diagnosis from the clinical psychologist, with a history of other neurological and psychiatric disorders and head trauma, or on psychiatric medication will be excluded from the study. * In view of the possibility of seizure induction by tDCS, potential ASD participants comorbid with epilepsy will be excluded. * Potential participants comorbid with mood or anxiety disorders will also be excluded.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Autistic spectrum disorder are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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 Hong Kong Polytechnic University
RECRUITINGHung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Zapping the brain: a new way to Jump-Start muscle power?
- Can a gentle electric current calm the mind in Alzheimer's?
- Can a brain zapping headset restore focus after long COVID?
- Could ADHD and autism influence youth crime? a new study investigates
- Ear stimulation may quiet pain — scientists scan the brain to find out how
- Could a gentle zapping of the brain ease MS fatigue and brain fog?