An interventional study of Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation and Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation in Cyberaggression, sponsored by Nanyang Technological University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Singapore. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-02.
Sponsored by Nanyang Technological University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
This study examines whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive form of brain stimulation, influences cyberaggressive behaviour in adults. tDCS uses a weak electrical current applied through electrodes placed on the scalp.
Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of three types of stimulation: anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation. They will attend three study sessions on three consecutive days and will receive the same assigned stimulation condition at each session. During the study, participants will complete computer-based tasks involving cognitive performance, social interaction, and responses to provocation.
The main purpose of the study is to determine whether cyberaggressive responding after the third stimulation session differs between the three stimulation conditions. Cyberaggressive behaviour will be assessed using a competitive online interaction task in which participants can respond to messages from another player. The study will also collect additional behavioural and physiological measures to better understand responses during the tasks.
248 studies on the registry are indexed under Aggression; 41 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 159 is above the median of 80 across 221 interventional studies indexed under Aggression.
Browse Aggression studies →Nanyang Technological University is the lead sponsor of 52 studies on the registry; 16 are open to participants now.
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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.
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Contraindication
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Participants assigned to this arm will receive anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) during three study sessions conducted on three consecutive days.
Device: Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation
Participants assigned to this arm will receive cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) during three study sessions conducted on three consecutive days.
Device: Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation
Participants assigned to this arm will receive sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) during three study sessions conducted on three consecutive days.
Device: Sham transcranial direct current stimulation
Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) will be administered using a prespecified bilateral stimulation montage targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Active stimulation will be delivered at a total current intensity of 2.0 mA for 20 minutes per session, with an 8-second ramp-in and 5-second ramp-out. Participants will receive stimulation during three sessions conducted on three consecutive days.
Also known as: Anodal tDCS
Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) will be administered using a prespecified bilateral stimulation montage targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Active stimulation will be delivered at a total current intensity of 2.0 mA for 20 minutes per session, with an 8-second ramp-in and 5-second ramp-out. Participants will receive stimulation during three sessions conducted on three consecutive days.
Also known as: Cathodal tDCS
Sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) will use the prespecified study electrode montage. Current will be ramped up over 8 seconds, delivered for 30 seconds, and ramped down over 5 seconds. The electrodes will remain in place for the remainder of the 20-minute stimulation period to maintain participant masking. Participants will receive sham stimulation during three sessions conducted on three consecutive days.
Also known as: Sham tDCS
Cyberaggressive responding on the TAP-Chat task
Cyberaggressive responding will be assessed from participant-generated messages during the Taylor Aggression Paradigm-Chat (TAP-Chat) task. Responses will be coded using a pre-specified coding scheme for cyberaggressive content. The primary analysis will compare coded cyberaggressive responding across the anodal, cathodal, and sham tDCS conditions and across the two levels of provocation.
Time frame: Day 3 (during the TAP-Chat task following the third tDCS session)
Aggressive responding on the Taylor Aggression Paradigm
Aggressive responding will be assessed using the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP), a laboratory-based competitive reaction-time task in which participants can select an aversive stimulus for an ostensible opponent. Aggressive responding will be quantified from participants' selections during the task according to the pre-specified TAP scoring procedure.
Time frame: Day 1 (during the TAP task following the first tDCS session)
Heart rate variability during TAP-Chat
Heart rate variability (HRV) will be derived from electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings collected during the Session 3 TAP-Chat task. HRV will be quantified using the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) and examined during pre-specified periods of the task to characterize autonomic responses associated with the online competitive interaction and provocation.
Time frame: Day 3 (during the TAP-Chat task following the third tDCS session)
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data are not currently planned for sharing outside the research team. Any future sharing of de-identified data would be subject to applicable institutional, ethical, and data-protection requirements.
Start is estimated for Oct 2026; primary completion for Jul 2028, 21 months later.
Of 93 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Aggression, half reached primary completion within 22 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 52. This study's planned 21 months is close to that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 93 studies reached it within 22 months; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 52.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Nanyang Technological University