Tests a mild brain stimulation method for thinking problems in schizophrenia
Tests a small electrical current on the head to study thinking in schizophrenia.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Effects of Brain Stimulation on Cognition, Oscillations and GABA Levels in Schizophrenia
Key facts
- Where
- Sacramento, United StatesSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 47 years old?
Source: NCT04267003, who can take part
Where in United States
- Imaging Research CenterSacramento, United StatesTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- University of California, Davis
- Trial code
- NCT04267003
- Record updated
- 30 March 2026
- Original description
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.Read full original descriptionShow less
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Studies of Cognition, Oscillations and GABA Levels in Schizophrenia
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.
Inclusion: Participants must be able to sufficiently speak and understand English so as to be able to understand and complete cognitive tasks; All subjects must have the ability to give valid informed consent; Diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorder; No medication changes in the prior month; No medication changes anticipated in the upcoming month; Stable outpatient or partial hospital status; Normal IQ (>70; IQ will be measured by administering the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of; Intelligence (WASI) test); Must not be currently taking the antipsychotic clozapine.
Exclusion: Metallic implants; Skin damage or skin conditions such as eczema at the sites where electrodes will be placed; Epilepsy; Any known history of neurological disorders (including epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, cerebral palsy, any DSM-5 axis I psychiatric disorder (for healthy control subjects), autism); Pacemakers; Implanted electrical (brain and spinal) stimulators; Implanted defibrillator; Hair styles hindering the placement of electrodes; Cranial pathologies; Head trauma; Mental retardation; Uncorrected vision problems that would hinder cognitive testing (this also pertains to subjects with color blindness in tasks where discriminating colored objects/items is necessary for successful performance); Pregnancy; Substance dependence in the past six months; Substance abuse in the past month.