Could zapping the brain improve depression and memory?
NCT ID NCT07191392
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether temporal interference stimulation (TIS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, can improve memory and mood in people with depression. Sixty adults with depression will receive either real or sham TIS over 30 minutes. Researchers will measure changes in memory tasks and depression scores to see if TIS helps.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Temporal Interference Stimulation (TIS) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive brain stimulation method to ease depression symptoms and improve memory.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with 60 participants, so results may not apply widely. The sham control mimics sensation, but real effects may be subtle or absent.
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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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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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12 to 60 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.
Inclusion Criteria: * the patients were diagnosed by more than 2 psychiatrists and met the diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 for depression, and HAMD\>17, BSS\>6, PHQ-15\>5. * the age ranged from 18 to 65 years old, and the length of education was more than 5 years. * the visual acuity or corrected visual acuity is normal, right-handed, can cooperate with the completion of various experimental tests. Exclusion Criteria: * accompanied by severe somatic diseases, such as severe heart, liver, renal insufficiency and so on. * accompanied by other neurological diseases, such as stroke, epilepsy and so on. pregnant and lactating women. * accompanied by other mental disorders, such as drug abuse, schizophrenia, schizophrenic affective
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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
2 sites. 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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Anhui Medical University
RECRUITINGHefei, Anhui, China
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Anhui Mental Health Center
RECRUITINGHefei, Anhui, China
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