Brain zaps for the blues: new study tests tDCS for mild depression
NCT ID NCT07319143
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called tDCS can improve mood and motivation in young adults (18-35) with mild depression. Participants will receive either real tDCS or a sham (placebo) treatment for 10 sessions over 2 weeks. Researchers will track changes in depressive symptoms and emotional function for up to 3 months after treatment.
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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 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2026
- Expected to finish
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Sep 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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18 to 35 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18-35 years * Fluency in Cantonese or Mandarin * Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing * IQ \> 75% Quantile in Raven's SPM * At least 9 years of formal education * Right-handedness Exclusion Criteria: * Past or current major physical illness or psychiatric disorders * Use of psychotropic medication in the past 6 months * Pregnancy (for women) * Any condition that prevents safe tDCS use (e.g., brain injury, implants) * Previous participation in neuromodulation in the past 3 months
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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 University of Hong Kong
RECRUITINGHong Kong, Hong Kong
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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