ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07246993Updated Sep 1, 2026

Targeting Neuroplasticity for Persistent Post-Concussive Cognitive Symptoms

An interventional study of Active tDCS and Sham tDCS in Persistent Post Concussion Syndrome and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, sponsored by University of Minnesota. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-01.

Sponsored by University of Minnesota · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Mar 2026; still recruiting 8 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

This project investigates an innovative combination of non-invasive neuromodulation (transcranial direct current stimulation - tDCS) and cognitive training as a novel treatment approach aimed at improving function in individuals suffering from persistent post-concussive syndrome (PPCS) following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

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Conditions studied

  • Persistent Post Concussion Syndrome
  • Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

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In context

Brain Concussion

637 studies on the registry are indexed under Brain Concussion; 163 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 63 across 446 interventional studies indexed under Brain Concussion.

Browse Brain Concussion studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Minnesota is the lead sponsor of 1,216 studies on the registry; 197 are open to participants now.

Of its 136 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 95 (70%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

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.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 18-65
  • Has sustained a single mTBI 3-12 months prior to enrollment
  • Meets criteria for PPCS (assessed using the CP Screen)
  • Has reliable access to a smartphone

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to provide or complete study procedures
  • History of moderate/severe TBI
  • Significant neurological or psychiatric disorders (other than PPCS-related symptoms like mild depression/anxiety)
  • Substance dependence within the last six months
  • to tDCS (e.g., implanted metal, skin lesions on scalp)
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

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.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

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.

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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Active tDCS + Cognitive Training

    Device: Active tDCS

  • Placebo comparator
    Sham tDCS + Cognitive Training

    Device: Sham tDCS

Interventions

  • DeviceActive tDCS

    All participants will receive 10 sessions of cognitive training focused on executive functions, delivered over approximately 3 weeks. Cognitive training will be completed on a lab provided computer using PositScience BrainHQ or TaskFlow software. Concurrently, during each training session, participants will receive either active or sham tDCS. Stimulation will be delivered via saline-soaked sponge electrodes using the Soterix 1x1 miniCT TES device. The anode (active electrode) will be placed over the L-DLPFC (approximated by EEG coordinate F3) and the cathode (reference electrode) over the contralateral supraorbital area (Fp2). The active tDCS group will receive 2mA constant current for 20 minutes.

  • DeviceSham tDCS

    All participants will receive 10 sessions of cognitive training focused on executive functions, delivered over approximately 3 weeks. Cognitive training will be completed on a lab provided computer using PositScience BrainHQ or TaskFlow software. Concurrently, during each training session, participants will receive either active or sham tDCS. Stimulation will be delivered via saline-soaked sponge electrodes using the Soterix 1x1 miniCT TES device. The anode (active electrode) will be placed over the L-DLPFC (approximated by EEG coordinate F3) and the cathode (reference electrode) over the contralateral supraorbital area (Fp2). The sham tDCS group will receive a brief ramp up and ramp down of current at the beginning and end of the 20 minutes to mimic the sensation of active stimulation.

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Efficacy of active tDCS combined with cognitive training compared to sham tDCS combined with cognitive training for improving executive function in individuals with PPCS

    Using score on Penn Cognitive Battery

    Time frame: Week 4

Secondary outcomes

  1. Effects of active versus sham tDCS combined with cognitive training on self-reported affect, stress, cognition, and objectively measured sleep and activity levels

    Ecological Momentary Assessment Survey score

    Time frame: Week 4

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Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
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References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

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Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Mar 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Jan 2028, 21 months after the start.

Of 248 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Brain Concussion, half reached primary completion within 28 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 19 and three quarters within 47. This study's planned 21 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 264 studies reached it within 28 months; a quarter within 19 and three quarters within 47.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Oct 30, 2025
First posted
Nov 25, 2025
StartActual
Mar 5, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Jan 1, 2028
CompletionEst.
Jan 1, 2028
Last update
Sep 1, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 1, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07246993
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Nov 25, 2025
Start date
Mar 5, 2026
Primary completion
Jan 1, 2028 (estimated)
Completion
Jan 1, 2028 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 1, 2026

Study contacts

Melanie Stimac
Contact
stima011@umn.edu
612-301-2549
Jazmin Camchong, PhD
principal investigator · University of Minnesota

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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