Could a gentle brain zapping device ease severe depression in down syndrome?
NCT ID NCT06866925
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tDCS can help adults with Down syndrome who have depression with catatonia (a state of being unresponsive or stuck). 62 participants will receive either real or fake (sham) tDCS for 15 sessions over 5 days. Researchers will measure changes in symptoms using a standard rating scale and also check safety, thinking skills, and brain activity. The goal is to find a drug-free way to help this group.
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 it works, this could offer a non-drug treatment option for depression with catatonia in people with Down syndrome.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early pilot study (62 people) with no phase, so results may not be conclusive. The sham group may also show improvement, and long-term benefits are uncertain.
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 62 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Sep 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 years and older
- 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: * Patient with Down syndrome * Age \> 18 * Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder MDD with catatonic symptoms according to the DSM-5 criteria * Informed consent signed by the patient, by the patient under curatorship, or by the legal representative in the case of a patient under guardianship. * Person affiliated to the French social security system or equivalent Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy (checked with a pregnancy test) * Contraindication for tDCS(i.e., cochlear implant) * Refusal of the patients or their legal representatives * Other persons protected under the CSP (judicial safeguard, family habilitation)
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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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Hopital Vinatier
RECRUITINGLyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 69678, France
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