Effects of tDCS on Fear Reversal in Patients With Anxiety Disorders

Enrolling by invitation · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Anxiety Disorders

In brief

This study evaluates the effects of single-session Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on fear reversal learning in patients with anxiety disorders. Participants will be randomized into four groups to receive either active stimulation targeting specific brain regions (right DLPFC or vmPFC), an active control stimulation, or sham stimulation. The main goal is to determine if modulating these brain areas can improve the ability to update safety and threat associations.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07405463

Run by

Jingchu Hu

People needed

140

Starts

2025-12-01

Expected to finish

2028-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-02-12

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age between 18 and 60 years old. Right-handed. Meeting the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Gambling Disorder (GD). South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) score ≥ 5. Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing. Willingness to provide written informed consent and participate in the study.

You may not qualify if…

• History of other severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression) or neurological diseases (e.g., epilepsy, stroke, brain tumor).
• History of substance abuse or dependence (excluding nicotine) in the past 6 months.
• Current use of psychotropic medications that may affect cortical excitability (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants).
• Presence of metallic implants in the head or neck area (e.g., cochlear implants, aneurysm clips) or cardiac pacemakers.
• Skin lesions or sensitivity at the stimulation sites on the scalp. Pregnancy or lactation. Participation in other neuromodulation studies within the last 3 months.

Where it is running

• Shenzhen Kangning Hospital — Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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