Efficacy and Safety of tACS for Depression: a Multicenter RCT Study

NCT ID: NCT06891326

Last Updated: 2025-03-24

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

72 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-10-08

Study Completion Date

2026-10-08

Brief Summary

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Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a promising non-invasive technique for major depression, because of its advantage of lower risks and expenses compared to other therapies such as deep brain stimulation, electroconvulsive therapy, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of depression treated by tACS have been conducted but provided limited and incongruous results. We designed a multi-center RCT to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tACS for depression.

Eligible participants will be patients diagnosed with depression (HDRS-17≥8), aged 18 to 65, and without other conditions that could interfere with the study. A total of 72 participants will be recruited from 4 clinic centers. Participants will be randomized 1:1 to active tACS or sham stimulation group. The study staff and the participants are blinded to the randomization results. Stimulating electrodes will be placed on the scalp corresponding to bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) using frequency of 10Hz and amplitude of 1.5 to 2.0 mA. The intervention will last for 4 weeks, containing 20 40-minute sessions in total. Another 4-week observation will be followed by the end of the intervention. Participants will receive assessments at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks after the study begins. Psychological scales are used for the evaluation of their mental and quality of life. Besides, electroencephalogram (EEG) recording and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans will also be performed to quantitatively measure the neural activities as well as the functional connectivity changes within the depression-related circuits.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Depression Disorders

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators

Study Groups

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Control group

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

sham transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation

Intervention Type DEVICE

we use fade-in, short-stimulation, fade-out (FSF) stimulation pattern, with 60s-long fade-in/out periods, 2.0mA peak current at the beginning and the end of stimulation session

Treatment group

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

active tACS

Intervention Type DEVICE

The active tACS protocol lasted for 40 min of continuous sine-wave stimulation with the frequency of 10Hz and an amplitude ranging from 1.5mA to 2.0mA, adjusted according to the tolerability among individuals.

Interventions

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sham transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation

we use fade-in, short-stimulation, fade-out (FSF) stimulation pattern, with 60s-long fade-in/out periods, 2.0mA peak current at the beginning and the end of stimulation session

Intervention Type DEVICE

active tACS

The active tACS protocol lasted for 40 min of continuous sine-wave stimulation with the frequency of 10Hz and an amplitude ranging from 1.5mA to 2.0mA, adjusted according to the tolerability among individuals.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Clinical diagnosis of depressive disorder;
2. Age ranges between 18 and 65 years;
3. HDRS-17 score equals to or above 8;
4. No medical history/Under stable antidepressant treatment in one month;

Exclusion Criteria

1. Combination of other psychotic disorders and neurological diseases;
2. History of invasive brain surgeries;
3. Non-invasive neurostimulation treatments within 3 months;
4. Physical condition that may endanger patients' safety during the study.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Shanghai Mental Health Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Shandong Mental Health Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Ruijin Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Locations

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Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine

Shanghai, , China

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Shanghai, , China

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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China

Central Contacts

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Yunhao Wu

Role: CONTACT

008602115021638398

Facility Contacts

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Yunhao Wu

Role: primary

0086-021-15021638398

Yunhao WU

Role: primary

86-21-15021638398

Other Identifiers

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20240913

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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