Zapping the brain to fight teen pain: a new hope?
NCT ID NCT07785362
First seen Aug 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) — a safe, non-invasive technique that sends a mild electrical current through the scalp — can reduce pain and improve quality of life in children and adolescents aged 10 to 21 with juvenile fibromyalgia or other non-inflammatory musculoskeletal pain syndromes. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either active tES or a sham (placebo) stimulation for 20 minutes a day over two weeks. The study measures changes in pain, quality of life, and brain activity to see if this approach could be a helpful addition to chronic pain management.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique
- What this could lead to
- If effective, tES could offer a drug-free, non-invasive option to help young people with chronic musculoskeletal pain feel better and improve their daily lives.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with a small number of participants, so results may not apply broadly. The treatment may not outperform a placebo, and its long-term safety and effectiveness are not yet known.
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 46 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 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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10 to 21 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: Subjects aged between 10 and 21 years.Patients with fibromyalgia according to the 1990 criteria of the American College of Rheumatology or Patients with other types of non-inflammatory musculoskeletal pain syndromes.Patients who reported a mean pain score \> 4 on a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) during the two weeks preceding the clinical trial.Disease duration for more than 6 months, no change in drug treatments during the last month, and lack of response to conventional treatments. Exclusion Criteria: iagnosis of epilepsy or at risk of seizuresPresence of a cardiac pacemakerPresence of an implanted infusion pump, metal plates in the skull, or metal objects in the eye and skull (e.g., after neurosurgical interventions)Past or present history of substance abusePast or present history of neuropsychiatric disorders (major depression and schizophrenia)
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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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Ronchetti Anna Bruna
Genova, GE, 16147, Italy
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