NCT07092280Recruiting
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Children With Autism
A Pilot Study of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 23 Feb 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Although many children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make significant progress in learning and their cognitive skills improve with applied behavior analysis (ABA), there are a significant number of children who show an absence or a plateau in various skills. Deficits in executive functioning are likely to be involved in many of these cognitive and learning disabilities due to poor functioning of the prefrontal cortex. Currently, the use of biological methods for improving learning and cognition is largely unexplored in research and practice. The aim of this study is to use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in combination with ABA to improve the acquisition of educational programs for students with ASD. tDCS is a low-level electrical neurostimulation and is most effective when used in combination with an active training or teaching, facilitating the neuronal circuits used for that task. tDCS has been used for various indications over a couple of decades and has been shown to be very safe and has been well-tolerated by children with ASD. The mechanism of tDCS is not clear, however animal studies show that tDCS can stimulate the flow of calcium ions through channels in the astrocytes, activating them, and facilitating their role in synapse formation and therefore learning.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 24 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 17 Jul 2025
- Start date
- 1 Apr 2026
- Primary completion date
- Dec 2028
- Lead sponsor
- New York State Institute for Basic Research
- Diseases
- Autism
- NCT number
- NCT07092280
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 24
- From 1 Apr 2026 to the primary completion date, Dec 2028
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Other illness
- Any implanted metal device (heart pacemaker, cochlear implant, surgical clips, etc.)
- Severe neurological disorders such as TBI, brain tumor, intracranial infection
- Seizure disorder with a seizure within the last two years
- Medication that might affect tDCS: There have been a few studies concerning the effect of various medications on tDCS. Some may block and others may enhance the effects depending on many factors. The assay used to test these medications was its effect on the motor cortex after stimulation and this may not apply to our montages, however, in order to minimize the chances of having medication affect our results, participants taking the following medications will be excluded:
- Na or Ca channel blockers which will include all anti-seizure medications
- Medications that affect the NMDA receptors including dextromethorphan, cycloserine
- Serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- Dopamine stimulating or blocking medications including pergolide, bromocriptine and all antipsychotic medications
- Norepinephrine stimulating or blocking agents including propranolol and the stimulants
- Drugs that can lower seizure threshold \[imipramine, amitriptyline, doxepin, nortriptyline, maprotiline, chlorpromazine, clozapine, foscarnet, ganciclovir, ritonavir, amphetamines, phencyclidine, ketamine, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), alcohol, theophylline\]
- Barbiturates, benzodiazepines, meprobamate, chloral hydrate in the past 4 weeks
- Acute skin disease
- History of magnetic or electrical stimulation
Other
- Skull defect
- Peripheral blindness or deafness
Who the study is looking for
- Males and females between 5 and 12 years with autism
- Enrolled in an ABA program (school or in-home) supervised by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
- Stable medical and behavioral treatments for at least 4 weeks prior to, and during the study
- Able to tolerate wearing tDCS as determined during a week-long daily desensitization training.
Age in the registry: 5 years to 12 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York State Institute for Basic Research Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Staten Island | United States | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.