An interventional study of Spaced Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), sponsored by University of California, San Diego. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-15.
Sponsored by University of California, San Diego · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
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Among 204 studies in Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant with a site in United States — 43 open to participants now, 65 under way, 6 of them phase 3. Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant · United States.
Among the 204 studies in Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant with a site in United States, this one is the 149th largest by planned enrollment of the 181 interventional ones that give a count, is one of 11 that started in 2025, is one of 72 with no phase, reaches primary completion later than 13 of the 64 other live ones, and was the 184th registered.
448 studies on the registry are indexed under Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant; 147 are open to participants now.
Browse Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant studies →43 of the 204 studies in Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant with a site in United States are open now. Recruiting first, the newest first:
NeuroRx, Inc. · Sites in United States
Ages 18–80
Mayo Clinic · Sites in United States
Ages 22–60
Motif Neurotech, Inc. · Sites in United States
Ages 22–85
BrainHealth Solutions, Inc. · Sites in United States
Ages 65+
Mclean Hospital · Sites in United States
Ages 18+
A study can be open while its sites in United States have not opened yet or have stopped. Only those recruiting at a site in United States →
Of the 114 Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant studies recruiting now, 26 (23%) set no upper age limit and 76 (67%) stop at 75 or younger; 1 takes children under 18; 13 take healthy volunteers.
This study: 18 Years to 85 Years · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.
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204 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.
A study in two phases is counted once above. Listed by phase, each with its combined phases: Phase 1 17 · Phase 2 58 · Phase 3 23 · Phase 4 17
First in 2001; this study’s year is marked. 11 started in 2025.
By drug class, each counting the studies that test any of its medicines:
This study's planned enrollment of 10 is below the median of 59 across 372 interventional studies indexed under Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant.
Median enrollment 38 across the 181 interventional studies, 83 across the 22 observational. Of the 119 that completed or were terminated, 70 (59%) have results posted.
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57 of 204 have an industry lead sponsor. The 10 most frequent:
University of California, San Diego is the lead sponsor of 980 studies on the registry; 195 are open to participants now.
Of its 113 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 71 (63%) have results posted.
University of California, San Diego has 7 studies filed under Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant — fewer than ten, so there is no comparison to draw.
20 of the studies in Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant with a site in United States that are under way reach primary completion within a year, 1 of them phase 3. Phase 3 first, then by date:
| Study | Primary completion |
|---|---|
| NCT04041479Phase 3Weill Medical College of Cornell UniversityBiomarker-guided rTMS for Treatment Resistant Depression | 2027-04 |
| NCT04684706University of PennsylvaniaCompressed Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation | 2026-11-30 |
| NCT06938841University of California, San DiegoMaintenance rTMS for Depression (Maitr-De) | 2026-11-30 |
| NCT03573349Mayo ClinicKetamine Associated ACC GABA and Glutamate Change and Depression Remission: | 2026-12 |
| NCT07310381Stanford UniversityVagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Electroencephalogram (EEG) Protocol Supplement | 2026-12-31 |
Add all 20 to your calendar (.ics) → With an account.
Among the 204 studies in Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant with a site in United States, from their registry updates:
This tab as a report to print or save as PDF → With an account.
The investigators propose a single-arm, open-label study to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, tolerability and feasibility of at-home transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a treatment for depression, particularly in cases where patients have not responded well to traditional therapies. Treatment will be delivered over a 2-week period with daily weekday treatments i.e., five tDCS sessions, each lasting 20 minutes, spaced by approximately 20-minute inter-session intervals, for a total of three hours a day. Participants will self-administer treatment at home under direct remote supervision. Pre- and post- treatment neurophysiological biomarkers sessions will also be carried out. The study aims to examine changes in mood, brain activity, and related clinical outcomes before, during, and after treatment, with the goal to provide more information that can be used for future studies.
PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE 4 APPOINTMENTS THAT MUST OCCUR IN PERSON IN SAN DIEGO, CA.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraindication
A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
tDCS, a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that applies low-intensity, direct electrical stimulation to the cortex via scalp electrodes, has been extensively researched as a potential treatment for MDD. tDCS enhances neuroplasticity, which is theorized to be responsible for its therapeutic effects and has been presented as a cost-effective solution for MDD. Preclinical evidence supports the potential advantage of spaced stimulation with tDCS to maximally engage neuroplasticity. tDCS sessions will be self-administered at home under the supervision of a trained clinical research coordinator. Each treatment day will consist of five tDCS sessions, each lasting 20 minutes, spaced by approximately 20-minute inter-session intervals, for a total of three hours per day. Other Names: * tDCS * Soterix Medical miniCT
Device: Spaced Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
tDCS will be self-administered at home under the supervision of a trained clinical research coordinator using the Soterix Medical mini-CT device with remote monitoring via a secure videoconferencing platform (e.g., Microsoft Teams).The device is designed for safe, remote tDCS delivery. Participants will be treated using a stimulation at 2 mA, with a 30-second ramp-up and ramp-down phase.
Feasibility (Recruitment)
Recruitment rate will be measured as the number of patients enrolled by the conclusion of the study, reported as a whole number.
Time frame: From baseline clinical assessment prior to treatment to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Feasibility (Retention)
Retention rate will be measured as the percentage of enrolled patients who complete all study visits, reported as a percentage.
Time frame: From baseline clinical assessment prior to treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Feasibility (Adherence)
The proportion of completed sessions relative to the total prescribed sessions, expressed as a percentage.
Time frame: From baseline clinical assessment prior to treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Safety of at-home spaced tDCS
Safety will be measured by the number of serious adverse events (SAEs)
Time frame: From baseline clinical assessment prior to treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Tolerability to spaced tDCS
Tolerability will be measured by the number of adverse events (AEs).
Time frame: From baseline clinical assessment prior to treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Changes from pre-treatment depressive symptomatology in post-treatment
Changes in depressive symptoms will be assessed using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), which ranges from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating more severe depression. A decrease in the MADRS score will be interpreted as an improvement in symptoms.
Time frame: From baseline clinical assessment prior to treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Biomarker Discovery: Short-Interval Intracortical Inhibition (SICI) via TMS-EMG
TMS-EMG will be used to evaluate changes in SICI.
Time frame: From baseline neurophysiological assessment prior to treatment, to during treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Biomarker Discovery: Intracortical Facilitation (ICF) via TMS-EMG
TMS-EMG will be used to evaluate changes in intracortical facilitation
Time frame: From baseline neurophysiological assessment prior to treatment, to during treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Biomarker Discovery: Cortical Silent Period (CSP) via Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation-Electromyography (TMS-EMG)
TMS-EMG will be used to assess changes in the cortical silent period (CSP). Unit of Measurement: Duration (milliseconds).
Time frame: From baseline neurophysiological assessment prior to treatment, to during treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Biomarker Discovery: TMS-Evoked Potential (TEP) Component Amplitudes via TMS-EEG
TMS-EEG will be used to evaluate changes in TMS-evoked potential (TEP) component amplitudes. Unit of Measurement: Voltage (µV).
Time frame: From baseline neurophysiological assessment prior to treatment, to during treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Biomarker Discovery: Resting-State Electroencephalography (rsEEG)
rsEEG will be used to analyze changes in brain activity patterns at rest. Unit of Measurement: Frequency (Hz)
Time frame: From baseline neurophysiological assessment prior to treatment, to during treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
Biomarker Discovery: Resting-State Electroencephalography (rsEEG)
rsEEG will be used to analyze changes in brain activity patterns at rest. Unit of Measurement: Amplitude (µV).
Time frame: From baseline neurophysiological assessment prior to treatment, to during treatment, to 12 weeks after last treatment.
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Started Sep 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Oct 2026, 12 months after the start.
Of 136 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant, half reached primary completion within 42 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 22 and three quarters within 79. This study's planned 12 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 140 studies reached it within 50 months; a quarter within 22 and three quarters within 88.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant →
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