Intervention Effect of High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) on Depressive Disorder

January 7, 2026 updated by: WANG KAI, Anhui Medical University
To investigate the intervention effect of high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on somatic symptoms in patients with depressive disorder and its underlying neural mechanism by MRI.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Depressive disorder is a major public health and safety problem around the world. Patients with depression often performe symptoms such as anhedonia, lack of motivation, somatic symptoms, and even suicidal ideation and behavior. The purpose of this study was to study the relieving effect of high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on the symptoms of depression.

60 patients with depressive disorder diagnosed by DSM-5 were recruited from the fourth people's Hospital of Hefei and the first affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. All participants underwent a structured interview and routine laboratory examination before and after receiving HD-tDCS. After meeting the inclusion criteria and obtaining informed consent. Each participant will complete the clinical evaluation, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and HD-tDCS treatment conducted by trained researchers at the Neuropsychological Synergetic Innovation Center of Anhui Medical University. All the participants were randomized (1:1) to receive "active" or "sham" treatment protocol. The anode was placed over Fz with return electrodes placed at Fpz, Cz, F3 and F4. Fourteen 2-mA sessions (ramp-up and ramp-down periods of 30 and 30 seconds, respectively) were applied for 20 minutes each day over 14 consecutive sessions. Sham HD-tDCS was delivered using the same protocol and current intensity, but the period of active stimulation was only during the ramp-up and ramp-down periods of 30 and 30 seconds.

Before and after the HD-tDCS treatment, the patients had receiving a battery measure of neuropsychological tests and Magnetic resonance imaging scan in multimodalities. Neuropsychological assessment included MoCA, Stroop Test, VFT, DST, AVLT, HAMD, HAMA, PHQ15, BSS(Beck scale for suicide ideation),ISI,SDS, RRS, TEPS, AES, FPQ, PVAQ and AAS. Multimodal fMRI includes 3D-T1, rs-fMRI, DTI and ASL.

Neuropsychological evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained again 24 hours after the last treatment. The symptoms of the patients were followed up one month after the end of treatment.They were instructed to focus their answers on the past week. Afterwards, they were unblinded by the study coordinator.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

57

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • China
      • Hefei, China
        • Anhui Medical University

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • the patients were diagnosed by more than 2 psychiatrists and met the diagnostic criteria of DSM-5 for depression, and HAMD>17, PHQ-15>5.
  • the age ranged from 18 to 60 years old
  • right-handed
  • stable dose of medication for at least 4 weeks or no history of antidepressive drugs before intervention

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.
  • accompanied by other mental disorders, such as drug abuse, schizophrenia, schizophrenic affective disorder, hysteria, autism and so on.
  • patients with MRI taboos or factors affecting imaging quality, such as cardiac pacemaker, cochlear implant, cardio-cerebrovascular metal stent, metal denture, etc.
  • pregnancy and breastfeeding.
  • previous physical treatment (electroconvulsive therapy or tDCS).

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: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: real stimulation
Participants will receive active tDCS once daily for two weeks. The anode was placed over Fz with return electrodes placed at Fpz, Cz, F3 and F4. Fourteen 2-mA sessions (ramp-up and ramp-down periods of 30 and 30 seconds, respectively) were applied for 20 minutes each day over 14 consecutive sessions.
Device: High definition transcranial direct current stimulation
tDCS is described as a non-invasive form of brain stimulation that uses a low-intensity, constant current applied directly to the head through scalp electrodes.
Placebo Comparator: sham stimulation
Participants will receive sham tDCS once daily for two weeks. Sham HD-tDCS was delivered using the same protocol and current intensity, but the period of active stimulation was only during the ramp-up and ramp-down periods of 30 and 30 seconds.
Device: sham high definition transcranial direct current stimulation
Sham HD-tDCS was delivered using the same protocol and current intensity, but the period of active stimulation was only during the ramp-up and ramp-down periods of 30 and 30 seconds.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
the change of somatic symptoms in active group and sham group at post-treatment and follow-up visit.
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
the somatic symptoms were assessed by PHQ-15 scale.
Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
the percentage decrease in PHQ-15 scores in active group and sham group at post-treatment and follow-up visit.
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
The percentage of decrease in scores was measured using the following formula: (pretreatment scores - post-treatment scores)/pretreatment scores × 100 %).
Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
the number of somatic responders in active group and sham group at post-treatment and follow-up visit.
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
Responders were defined as patients who had a ≥ 50% decrease in the PHQ-15 score.
Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
the change of depressive symptoms in active group and sham group at post-treatment and follow-up visit.
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
the depressive symptoms were assessed by HAMD scale.
Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
the percentage decrease in HAMD scores in active group and sham group at post-treatment and follow-up visit.
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
The percentage of decrease in scores was measured using the following formula: (pretreatment scores - post-treatment scores)/pretreatment scores × 100 %).
Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
the number of depressive responders in active group and sham group at post-treatment and follow-up visit.
Time Frame: Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.
Responders were defined as patients who had a ≥ 50% decrease in the HAMD score.
Baseline, Week 2 and Week 8.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Anhui Medical University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Ting Zhang, Anhui Medical University

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)

January 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 31, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

August 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 13, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 17, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

March 18, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

January 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 7, 2026

Last Verified

September 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AHMU-tdcs-depression

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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