Brain zaps for brain fog: new study tests tDCS for Post-Concussion syndrome
NCT ID NCT06376500
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tDCS, combined with cognitive training, can improve thinking speed and focus in people with persistent post-concussion syndrome. Forty adults who had a mild concussion 1-6 years ago will receive 10 sessions over two weeks. The study uses brain scans to understand how tDCS affects brain connections. It is an early, small study aimed at gathering initial evidence, not proving a treatment.
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-drug treatment to ease cognitive problems like slow thinking and poor focus after a concussion.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (40 people) with no placebo group, so results may not be reliable or apply to everyone. tDCS can cause mild scalp discomfort but serious risks are rare.
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 40 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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Feb 2028
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: * being 18 years old or older; * having a history of a mild TBI (less than 30 minutes loss of consciousness) 1-6 years prior to the study; * able to communicate in Chinese. Exclusion Criteria: * being without a confirmed diagnosis from the medical practitioner; * having a history of other neurological and psychiatric disorders, skull defect, recent medical instability (within 3 weeks); * being pregnant; * being medication for a psychiatric condition (e.g., major depression, anxiety, schizophrenia); * with any implanted devices or suffering from real claustrophobia or feel uncomfortable in small, enclosed spaces, like MRI tunnel
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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 Hong Kong Polytechnic University
RECRUITINGHung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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