An interventional study of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and multichannel transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in Depressive Disorder, Cognitive Impairment and Psychiatric Disorder, sponsored by The National Brain Mapping Laboratory (NBML). Completed at 1 site in Iran. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-03-18.
Sponsored by The National Brain Mapping Laboratory (NBML) · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
In this project, the efficacy of different tDCS protocols in major depression will be investigated. The tDCS protocols have already been investigated in humans, and results showed that stimulation intensity has a different effect on tDCS long-term aftereffects based on the human motor cortex model. The project has three major goals: first, we want to see if the differential outcome of tDCS dosage, as present in healthy populations, can be translated to patients with major depression. Second, we want to compare the efficacy of a multi-channel novel protocol with conventional tDCS modules. Lastly, we are interested in the safety and tolerability of optimized multi-channel. The project output will be an optimized tDCS protocol for major depression treatment.
4,845 studies on the registry are indexed under Depressive Disorder; 514 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 60 is below the median of 80 across 3,999 interventional studies indexed under Depressive Disorder.
Browse Depressive Disorder studies →The National Brain Mapping Laboratory (NBML) is the lead sponsor of 11 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
The conventional tDCS group will receive 30 sessions of 20-minute stimulation at 2 mA intensities using standard electrodes (7 x 5 cm) over the target region
Device: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
The multi-channel tDCS group will receive 30 sessions of 20-minute stimulation at 2 mA intensities using 7 electrodes (11 mm) over the target region
Device: multichannel transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
The conventional tDCS group will receive 30 session of 20-minute placebo stimulation using standard electrodes (7 x 5 cm) over the target region
Device: transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
In tDCS, direct electrical currents at the intensity of interest (2 mA for example) are generated by an electrical stimulator and are noninvasively delivered to the scalp through a pair of saline-soaked sponge electrodes (7×5 cm) or via more than two but smaller round electrodes over the target regions.
In multichannel tDCS, direct electrical currents at the intensity of interest (2 mA for example) are generated by an electrical stimulator and are noninvasively delivered to the scalp through more than two and smaller round electrodes over the target regions.
Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale scores
the score on the MADRS (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale)
Time frame: up to 3 months after the intervention
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores
the score on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). The HDRS is a multiple-item questionnaire designed for measuring adult depression and is administered by health care professionals. It is currently the most common depression measure used worldwide. Items on the HDRS are scored from 0 to 4 or 0 to 2 depending on the symptom assessed, with high scores indicating greater symptom pathology. scores typically ranging from 15 to 20 indicate a clinical level of depressive symptomatology
Time frame: up to 3 months after the intervention
Beck Depression Inventory scores
the score on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The BDI is a self-reported twenty-one questions about how the subject has been feeling in the last week, and each question has four answers ranging in intensity. Scoring 19 or higher on the BDI-II is considered moderate depression
Time frame: up to 3 months after the intervention
Working memory task
Performance in the Spatial Working Memory (SWM) task, which is a recommended test for depression by Cambridge Cognition (CANTAB)
Time frame: up to 1 month after the intervention
Attention task
Performance in the Rapid Visual Information Processing (RVP) task, which is a recommended test for depression by Cambridge Cognition (CANTAB)
Time frame: up to 1 month after the intervention
Emotion Recognition Task
Performance in the Emotion Recognition Task (ERT), which is a recommended test for depression by Cambridge Cognition (CANTAB)
Time frame: up to 1 month after the intervention
electroencephalogram (EEG) functional connectivity
Change in the EEG functional connectivity in the frontal areas
Time frame: up to 1 week after the intervention
electroencephalogram (EEG) power
Change in the EEG alpha/theta/gamma power
Time frame: up to 1 week after the intervention
Plan to share: Undecided
This study is completed, as verified in Mar 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
The National Brain Mapping Laboratory (NBML)