Brain zapping study aims to find best spot to treat depression
NCT ID NCT07500064
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study compares two brain areas for treating depression with a gentle electrical current (tDCS). Fifty adults with depression will receive stimulation to either the DLPFC or DMPFC. Researchers will measure changes in mood and emotional regulation to see which target works better.
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) device
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could point to a more effective way to use brain stimulation for treating depression, potentially improving mood and emotional control.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 50 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The effects of tDCS can vary, and it may not work for all patients.
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 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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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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.
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: * The diagnosis meets the criteria for depression outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). * Age between 18 and 65 years. * Education level exceeding 5 years, with no significant hearing or visual impairments. * Voluntary signing of informed consent and ability to cooperate with general demographic data collection and neuropsychological scale testing. Exclusion Criteria: * Age under 18 or over 65. * Patients with neurological disorders such as epilepsy or severe physical illnesses. * Patients with comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder. * Patients unable to undergo tDCS treatment for any reason, including presence of ferromagnetic metal in the head or implanted medical devices in the head/neck region. * Pregnant or lactating women.
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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 Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University
RECRUITINGHefei, Anhui, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can imagining exercise boost brain power after spinal cord injury?
- Can a group program teach teens to cope before therapy starts?
- Can intense brain zaps lift depression? scientists track blood flow in real time