Neuromodulation of Executive Function in the ADHD Brain

December 5, 2025 updated by: Joan A Camprodon, MD MPH PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital
This study aims to determine the transient, modulatory effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on executive function and inhibitory control in patients with ADHD compared to healthy controls.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study aims to determine the transient, modulatory effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on executive function and inhibitory control in patients with ADHD. Deficits in these cognitive functions are core to ADHD, and cause significant impairment and morbidity. The study will also include a cohort of healthy controls for comparison.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
83

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Patricia Cirillo, MD, PhD
  • Phone Number: 6177243217

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02129
        • Massachusetts General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 66 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria

  1. Male and female subjects 18-66 years of age
  2. Healthy volunteers or volunteers with a diagnosis of ADHD in adulthood, meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) [American Psychiatric Association, 2013] criteria, including at least 5 moderate inattentive or impulsive-hyperactive symptoms, and onset of two symptoms of inattentive or of impulsive/hyperactive traits by the age of 12.
  3. Patient will be either off stimulant medications or, if undergoing treatment with stimulants, will be asked to discontinue two days prior to the experiment, under physician-guided protocol, and allowed to resume afterwards. Subjects may resume stimulant use between the two study visits so long as they discontinue use two days prior to the second study visit. If fatigue is problematic in subjects discontinuing medication, they will be allowed to continue with the study if they are able to follow the suggested taper plan (50% of the dose day one, 25% dose day 2, stop day of visit (day 3)).
  4. English-speaking

Exclusion Criteria

  1. Current or past history of clinically unstable psychiatric conditions such as suicidal or homicidal behavior or psychotic disorders.
  2. Pregnant or nursing females.
  3. Inability to participate in testing procedures
  4. Contraindication to tDCS: history or epilepsy, metallic implants in the head and neck, brain stimulators, vagus nerve stimulators, VP shunt, pacemakers, pregnancy.

  5. Additional exclusion criteria for healthy controls:

    1. Diagnosis of psychiatric of neurological disorder
    2. Ongoing treatment with any psychotropic medications.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: ADHD
Patients with ADHD.
Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
In tDCS, electrodes are applied on the scalp to transmit direct current at low current amplitudes.
Other: Healthy Control
Volunteers without Neuropsychiatric Disorders.
Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
In tDCS, electrodes are applied on the scalp to transmit direct current at low current amplitudes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Accuracy and Reaction Time in Attention and Working Memory
Time Frame: Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
N-Back Task
Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Change in Accuracy and Reaction Time in Attention and Working Memory
Time Frame: Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Flanker Task
Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Change in Accuracy and Reaction Time in Attention and Working Memory
Time Frame: Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Multi-Source Interference with International Affective Picture System Task
Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Change in Accuracy and Reaction Time in Inhibition/Decision Making
Time Frame: Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Delayed Discounting
Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Change in Accuracy and Reaction Time in Inhibition/Decision Making
Time Frame: Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Stop Signal Task
Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Change in Accuracy and Reaction Time in Inhibition/Decision Making
Time Frame: Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Cambridge Gambling Task
Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Amplitude of Encephalogram (EEG) Event Related Potentials
Time Frame: Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks
Measure of amplitude related to stimulus
Change Before and After Stimulation on Each of the Three Visits, Average 2-6 Weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Massachusetts General Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Joan Camprodon, MD, PhD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2018

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 18, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 20, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 22, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 12, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 5, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2014P001401

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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