Brain zapping gadget tested to cure professor burnout
NCT ID NCT07411833
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tDCS can lower stress and burnout in university professors. Sixty participants will receive either real or sham tDCS for 20 minutes per session, 10 times over 4 weeks. Researchers will measure changes in stress and burnout using questionnaires right after treatment and again 5 weeks later.
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 option to ease stress and burnout for people in high-pressure jobs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 participants. The sham control may show similar effects, and results may not apply to other professions.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2026
- Expected to finish
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Aug 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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18 years and older
- 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.
Inclusion Criteria: * University staff in active functions * Age equal to or greater than 18 years * Availability for the 10 intervention sessions and subsequent assessments * Voluntary participation with informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Contraindications for tDCS, namely pregnancy, history of seizures or epilepsy, neurological or anatomical contraindications, metal implants or brain surgeries * Initiation or change in prescription of psychotropic drugs or anticonvulsants in the last 3 months * Recent active psychotherapy * Diagnosis of psychiatric condition in the last year
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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Egas Moniz School of Health and Science
Almada, Setúbal District, 2829 - 511, Portugal
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