NCT04267003

Effects of Brain Stimulation on Cognition, Oscillations and GABA Levels in Schizophrenia

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Studies of Cognition, Oscillations and GABA Levels in Schizophrenia

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 160 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of California, Davis · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 47 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

People with schizophrenia often have problems with attention, learning and memory and other cognitive abilities that interfere with their work and school performance. Unfortunately, even our best treatments often do not significantly reduce these cognitive problems. The current study investigates whether or not delivering a very small electrical current to people's foreheads (called, transcranial direct current stimulation; (tDCS)) might improve functioning in the front part of the brain and reduce these cognitive problems in people with schizophrenia. tDCS is non-invasive and has been shown to improve cognitive functioning in some preliminary studies. The current study will investigate whether giving tDCS during a task is more effective than giving it during rest (Aim 1), whether delivery of tDCS to the front of the head is more effective than delivery to the back of the head (Aim 2), and whether tDCS delivery will alter levels of a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain (GABA; Aim 3) that is important to cognitive functioning and may be disrupted in people with schizophrenia. Although this study is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat schizophrenia or any other disease, if results are positive it will encourage future large-scale studies to determine if tDCS can become an effective treatment for cognitive problems in people with schizophrenia.

Conditions

• Schizophrenia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation	In tDCS, saline-soaked electrodes are temporary affixed to the scalp and connected to a battery-powered current generator. A weak (2 mA) constant current is then briefly applied (\~20 minutes) to stimulate the targeted brain area (e.g. the DLPFC). To control for placebo effects, the study will utilize a sham stimulation protocol that consists of very brief constant stimulation (\~1 minute). Subjects usually cannot discern the difference between the sham and experimental stimulation protocols due to habituation.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-01-09
• Primary completion: 2026-08-31
• Completion: 2026-08-31
• First posted: 2020-02-12
• Last updated: 2026-03-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study