A Preliminary Study of Model-driven Individualized Transcranial Electrical Stimulation for Insomnia

September 21, 2025 updated by: Zhen Wang, Shanghai Mental Health Center
This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and to explore the best individualized stimulus paradigm of transcranial Electrical Stimulation for insomnia patients.

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 is an open-label clinical trial. A total of 40 patients with insomnia who meet the inclusion and exclusion of criteria will be recruited from the SMHC (20) and be assigned to receive individualized tDCS treatment. Patients will undergo ten days of daily individualized tDCS treatment for 20 min (sessions 2-11, SMHC) over a two-week period, which session 7 of patients for re-screening of tDCS target. In addition, normal control subjects and insomnia patients meeting eligibility criteria will be recruited from SMHC to identify biomarkers of wakefulness and sleep through simultaneous fMRI-EEG and high-density EEG recordings. These participants will not receive tDCS and will serve as controls for comparison with the treatment group.

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.
20

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.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • China
    • Shanghai Municipality
      • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200234
        • Shanghai Mental Health Center

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 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Participants will be recruited from the Shanghai Mental Health Center (SMHC) in Shanghai. Eligible insomnia participants were adults (18-50 years at SMHC) and diagnosed with insomnia disorder according to DSM-5 criteria by neurologists or psychiatrists using the procedure of Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Inclusion criteria were: (1) ≥ 9 years of education, (2) medication-free or had received stable medication for at least 2 months before entering the study and continued the same medication throughout the study. Exclusion criteria included: (1) serious medical, neurological, or psychiatric disorders other than anxiety or mild-to-moderate depression secondary to insomnia, (2) obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, (3) pregnancy or recent preparation for pregnancy, (4) previous treatments with ECT, rTMS, tES, and CBT-I.

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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.
Experimental: tES treatment
Patients will receive ten sessions of daily individualized tDCS over a two-week period, delivered for 20 min at SMHC (sessions 2-11).
Device: High-Definition transcranial electrical stimulation
The first and final sessions will include clinical assessments and acquisition of MRI and EEG data. To minimize variability, each patient will undergo tDCS at a consistent time in the afternoon or evening and will remain lying in bed with eyes closed throughout stimulation. Stimulation will be delivered using the GTEN 200 system (Magstim EGI, Oregon, USA), which also enables simultaneous EEG recording. The stimulation current will be limited to 1.5 mA, with a maximum of 0.15 mA per electrode (up to 20 electrodes). Electrode placement and current intensity will be individualized to achieve the targeted electric field strength (0.1 or 0.2 V/m at SMHC;). Each session will include 5 min of resting-state EEG immediately before and after stimulation to assess tDCS-induced changes in brain dynamics. Current onset and offset will be gradual, with 2-s ramp-up and ramp-down periods.

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
Insomnia Severity Index
Time Frame: At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6, SMHC)
The primary outcome is measured as the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) at baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6, SMHC).
At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6, SMHC)

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
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Time Frame: At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6)
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6)
Change in Beck Depression Inventory, BDI
Time Frame: At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6)
It consists of 21 items and uses a 0 to 3 severity scale. Total scores range from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating more severe depression symptoms.
At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6)
Change in Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI
Time Frame: At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6)
It is an inventory of anxiety symptoms with 18 items that are rated on a 5-point Likert scale(0 to 4). Total scores range from 0 to 72, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety symptoms.
At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6)
Change in Side-effect questionnaire
Time Frame: At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6).
It consists of 10-item and uses 0 to 3 severity scale to rate the intensity of side effects. Total scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating more severe side-effect. It also assesses the relation between side-effect and the effects of tDCS using 0 to 4 scale. Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher score indicating the greater relation.
At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6).
sleep Diary
Time Frame: At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3)
A daily record of sleep-wake times and related lifestyle factors, such as caffeine intake, naps, and exercise, used to identify patterns and improve sleep
At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment ("post-treatment", week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3)
Remission Rate
Time Frame: week 2, weeks 3 and week 6
Defined as ISI<8 based on the previous study
week 2, weeks 3 and week 6

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.
Shanghai Mental Health Center

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: Zhen Wang, PhD,MD, Shanghai Mental Health Center

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.
January 1, 2023

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.
December 30, 2024

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.
September 1, 2025

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).
June 28, 2022

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.
June 30, 2022

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.
July 6, 2022

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.
September 25, 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.
September 21, 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.
September 1, 2025

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.
  • SMHC-ISM-001

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

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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