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

Launched by RUIJIN HOSPITAL · Mar 18, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a new treatment called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) for people with depression. tACS is a non-invasive technique, meaning it doesn’t require surgery, and it aims to help those who may not respond well to traditional therapies. The trial will recruit 72 participants aged between 18 and 65 who have been diagnosed with depression and have a specific score indicating the severity of their condition. To be eligible, participants should not have other serious mental health issues or neurological diseases, and they should not have received certain other treatments recently.

Participants in the study will be randomly assigned to either receive the active tACS treatment or a sham (inactive) stimulation, meaning they won’t know which one they are getting. The treatment involves placing electrodes on the scalp for a total of 20 sessions over four weeks, with each session lasting about 40 minutes. Throughout the trial, participants will complete assessments to track their mental health and quality of life at different points, and some will undergo brain scans to measure changes in brain activity. This study aims to better understand the effectiveness and safety of tACS for treating depression.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• 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.