Could a gentle brain zap speed up concussion recovery in kids?
NCT ID NCT05762796
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle brain stimulation technique called tDCS can improve motor and thinking skills in children aged 10-15 who have had a mild concussion. Ten participants will receive tDCS and be evaluated with balance, coordination, and brain imaging tests. The goal is to see if this safe, non-invasive method can help restore communication between brain areas affected by injury.
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 it works, this could point toward a safe, non-drug way to help children recover from concussion symptoms like balance and thinking problems.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small early study (10 participants) testing a device, not a drug. It may not show clear benefits, and results may not apply to all children with concussion.
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 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2024
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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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10 to 15 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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.
Experimental Cohort: Inclusion Criteria: * age 10-15 years at enrollment * enrolled after 6 weeks of mTBI injury * exhibiting post-concussive symptoms (e.g., difficulty planning, sequencing, and executing a motor action) * Sustained an mTBI or concussion within the past 12 months * Parent and child proficient in English Healthy Controls Cohort: Inclusion Criteria: * 10 to 15 years old * no concussion history * Parent and child proficient in English Experimental Cohort: Exclusion Criteria: * loss of consciousness \> 30 minutes * post-traumatic amnesia \> 24 hours * intracranial findings on clinical imaging * history of developmental delay * history of learning disability or ADHD * Sustained a lower limb or upper limb injury that has not healed * History of Seizures * Noticeable skin lesions/burns or any other severe skin problems at the site of the electrodes before the start of the stimulation. * Parent/guardian report metal implants anywhere in the head/ncek/body on the MRI screening form (see attached). * Parent/guardian report shrapnel/bullets in the body on the MRI screening form. * Parent/guardian report any electronic implant such as a cardiac pacemaker, cochlear implant, ventricular shunt, cardiac defibrillator, aneurysm clips, pacing wires, any implant held in place with a magnet, heart valve, or deep brain stimulator on the MRI screening form. * Parent/guardian report a craniotomy or any other surgery in the past 6 weeks on the MRI screening form. * Parent/guardian report being claustrophobic on the MRI screening form. * Parent/guardian report and provide orbit x-ray after the eye injury involving a metal that the subject is cleared as indicated on the MRI screening form. * Pregnant females as reported by parent/guardian on the pre-consent screening form. Pubertal/post-pubertal female participants14 and above will be provided a separate post-consent screening form at each MRI visit to ensure the female reports accurately without fear. Healthy Controls Cohort: Exclusion Criteria: * diagnosed with developmental delay * sustained a lower limb or upper limb injury that has not healed * history of Learning Disability and/or ADHD * Parent/guardian report metal implants anywhere in the head/ncek/body on the MRI screening form (see attached). * Parent/guardian report shrapnel/bullets in the body on the MRI screening form. * Parent/guardian report any electronic implant such as a cardiac pacemaker, cochlear implant, ventricular shunt, cardiac defibrillator, aneurysm clips, pacing wires, any implant held in place with a magnet, heart valve, or deep brain stimulator on the MRI screening form. * Parent/guardian report a craniotomy or any other surgery in the past 6 weeks on the MRI screening form. * Parent/guardian report being claustrophobic on the MRI screening form. * Parent/guardian report and provide orbit x-ray after the eye injury involving a metal that the subject is cleared as indicated on the MRI screening form. * Pregnant females as reported by parent/guardian on the pre-consent screening form. Post-pubertal females 14 and above will be provided a separate post-consent screening form at each MRI visit to ensure the female reports accurately without fear.
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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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Ghazala Saleem
RECRUITINGBuffalo, New York, 14214, United States
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