NCT07019571

tDCS and Urge in BFRBs

Evaluating the Impact of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Urge in Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 55 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Gopalkumar Rakesh · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this study is to find out if brain stimulation can help people stop skin-picking or nail-biting. The study wants to answer two main questions: 1. Does brain stimulation reduce the urge to pick skin or bite nails after those urges are triggered? 2. Does brain stimulation reduce how often people pick their skin or bite their nails? Participants will: * Talk about their skin-picking, nail-biting, and other mental health concerns * Be placed in situations that make them want to pick or bite * Rate how strong their urges are before and after brain stimulation Researchers will compare real brain stimulation to a placebo (a fake version that looks the same but has no effect) to see if the real stimulation works to reduce skin-picking and nail-biting urges and behaviors.

Conditions

• Repetitive Compulsive Behavior

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Wireless Multichannel Transcranial Current Stimulator (tDCS)	tDCS will be delivered for 13 minutes (active) or only at the beginning and end of the 13 minute period (sham) using Neuroelectrics Instrument Controller software and a battery-driven Starstim 8-channel transcranial direct current stimulator with 1cm2 ceramic electrodes and SIGNAGEL conductive saline gel.
BEHAVIORAL	Cue exposure	Participants will undergo three, twenty-second trials of exposure to individualized cues at the top of the established urge hierarchy, previously determined to precede picking or biting behaviors before and after tDCS.
BEHAVIORAL	Boredom induction	Participants will be left in the testing room without access to a cellphone or reading materials for 2 different 6 minute periods.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-07-08
• Primary completion: 2026-05-01
• Completion: 2026-05-01
• First posted: 2025-06-13
• Last updated: 2025-07-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated device study