Could a zapping cap tame epilepsy seizures?
NCT ID NCT05673915
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tests whether a mild electrical current applied to the scalp (called tDCS) can reduce seizures in people with epilepsy. Thirty adults with hard-to-control epilepsy will use a head device for 30 minutes daily over two months. Researchers will track seizure counts and brain wave activity to see if the stimulation helps.
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 point toward a non-invasive, drug-free way to reduce seizures for people with epilepsy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (30 people) with no placebo group, so results may not be reliable. It also requires daily 30-minute sessions for 2 months, which may be hard to maintain.
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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Apr 2023
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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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6 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 * Clinical diagnosis of generalized onset or focal epilepsy or sleep-related epileptic encephalopathy. * Estimated to have at least 2 countable seizures per month or spike-wave index ≥50%. * Has not had control with at least 2 anti-seizure medicines. * Able to maintain a constant medication for duration of the study (rescue meds allowed). * Subject or legally authorized representative is able to understand consent and keep a seizure diary in English. Exclusion Criteria: * A disease likely to progress over course of the study. * Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. * Suicide attempt or psychiatric hospitalization past 2 years. * A skin condition interfering with scalp electrodes or allergy to silver. * Women will verify not pregnant, and if applicable, have a serum pregnancy test. * Implanted devices (e.g. pacemakers)-except VNS, which is allowed.
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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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Mayo Clinic Minnesota
RECRUITINGRochester, Minnesota, 55905, United States
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