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Could a gentle brain zap ease tough schizophrenia symptoms?

NCT ID NCT02744989

Symptom relief Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tDCS can help people with schizophrenia whose symptoms persist despite medication. 141 adults received either real or sham tDCS over 10 sessions. The goal was to see if active stimulation leads to a meaningful drop in symptom scores. Researchers also looked at how long any benefits might last and how the brain responds.

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 drug-free add-on to help reduce stubborn schizophrenia symptoms that medication alone doesn't fully control.
What could go wrong
This is a mid-stage study testing a proof of concept, so results may not be strong enough to change practice. The effect may be small or not last long.

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

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

141 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

May 2016

Finished

Oct 2022

Lead sponsor

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

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM 5.0 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel 5.0) criteria 2. Presence of symptoms despite the optimization of the antipsychotic dosage (based on prescriber's judgment) for at least 6 weeks, i.e. a dosage increase cannot be considered due to tolerability issues and/or is judged unlikely to bring sufficient clinical improvement. This will be operationalized by a minimum Negative PANSS score of 20 and at least one item scoring \> 4; OR a minimum Positive PANSS score of 20 with at least one item scoring \> 4 (e.g. delusion or hallucination), indicating persistent negative symptoms and/or persistent positive symptoms, 3. Patient under curatorship/guardianship or not 4. Age between 18 and 65 years old. 5. Covered by, or having the right to Social Security 6. Patient who understands the French language 7. Informed consent signed Exclusion Criteria: 1. Other neuropsychiatric disorders (psychiatric history will be assessed using the MINI 6.0 (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 6.0)) including bipolar disorders and mood depression disorders - (NB: Patients with substance related and addictive disorders will not be excluded from the study, but these data will be carefully recorded). 2. Contraindications for tDCS (neurologic stimulator, pacemaker, cardiac defibrillator, cardiac prosthesis, vascular prosthesis, intracranial clips or clamps, cerebrospinal fluid derivation, metallic splinters in the eyes), 3. Increase in total composite PANSS score of at least 20% between screening and enrollment visits 4. Women who are pregnant 5. Patients whose clinical condition requires in patient procedure under constraint

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

mental disorder psychiatric disorder schizophrenia

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Mental disorders Schizophrenia

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • CHRU de Tours - Clinique Psychiatrique Universitaire

    Tours, 37044, France

  • CHU de Clermont-Ferrand - Pôle de Psychiatrie B

    Clermont-Ferrand, 63000, France

  • CHU de St-Etienne - Service d'Urgences Psychiatriques

    Saint-Etienne, 42055, France

  • Centre Esquirol - CHU de Caen - Service de Psychiatrie Adulte,

    Caen, 14033, France

  • Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier - Service de Psychiatrie Adulte

    Bron, 69678, France

  • Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace - Service de Psychiatrie

    Monaco, 98000, Monaco

  • Centre Hospitalier Saint-Anne - Service de Psychiatrie Adultes

    Paris, 75014, France

  • Hôpital Edouard Herriot - Service d'Urgences Psychiatriques

    Lyon, 69437, France

  • Hôpital Fontan - CHRU de Lille - Pôle de Psychiatrie

    Lille, 59037, France

  • Hôpital de la Colombière - CHU Montpellier - Service de Psychiatrie Adulte

    Montpellier, 34295, France

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