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Biological and Psychological Markers After Intervention in Adults With GAD

NCT07116980 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 36

Last updated 2025-08-12

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This clinical trial inestigates the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on anxiety symptoms in adult women with clinically relevant anxiety levels. The intervention involves the application of low-intensity electrical current over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) across twenty consecutive sessions. Participants are randomly assigned to either an active or sham stimulation group in a double-blind design. The study aims to evaluate changes in anxiety symptoms, emotional regulation, and physiological and molecular markers, including EEG activity, heart rate variability (HRV), and salivary levels of cortisol and interleukin-6 (IL-6) plasma. The findings are expected to support the development of complementary, low-cost, and non-pharmacological strategies for anxiety management.

Conditions

Interventions

DEVICE

'Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation - tDCS

Participants will receive by trained personnel, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). According to the international 10-20 EEG system, the anodal electrode will be placed over the left F3 position and the cathodal electrode over the right F4 position. Active stimulation will be delivered using a constant current of 2 milliamperes (mA) for 20 minutes per session. The intervention will consist of twelve consecutive daily sessions (Monday to Friday), totaling four week of treatment. A certified tDCS device will be used, programmed to deliver a ramp-up and ramp-down period of 30 seconds. In the sham condition, the same electrode montage will be used; however, the device will automatically ramp down the current after 30 seconds, mimicking the initial tingling sensation without producing lasting neuromodulatory effects. This sham protocol is commonly used to ensure participant blinding in tDCS studies.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

    collaborator OTHER_GOV

  • Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Wolnei Caumo, PhD · Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
60 Years
Sex
FEMALE
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-06-21
Primary Completion
2024-01-30
Completion
2024-06-25

Countries

  • Brazil

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07116980 on ClinicalTrials.gov