The impact of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on open-label placebo effects

The impact of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on open-label placebo effects - OLP_tDCS

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00037468

Enrollment

Registered

2025-07-24

Start date

2025-08-01

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

F32.0 F32.1 F32.2 F33.0 F33.1 F33.2

Interventions

Group 1: Healthy participants Intervention: Open-label placebo (nasal spray), described as a placebo Two test sessions, 4–10 days apart Each session combined with either active or sham tDCS over the D

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to 60 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Diagnosed depression or depressive disorder

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: - Brain injury, metal in the head, or implants - Substance abuse or excessive alcohol consumption - Epilepsy

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Emotional distress while viewing emotionally stressful pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). The pictures are presented on a computer screen. Emotional distress is assessed on a 0–9 scale, after administration of the open-label placebo or the control nasal spray, at both sessions. Subjective pain perception assessed using a cold pressor test. The time participants keep their hand in the cold water (max. 3 min) and their subjective pain perception (measured with a visual analogue scale, VAS) are recorded. This is assessed after repeated administration of the open-label placebo or the control nasal spray, at both measurement sessions.	—

Measure

Time frame

Emotional distress while viewing emotionally stressful pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS). The pictures are presented on a computer screen. Emotional distress is assessed on a 0–9 scale, after administration of the open-label placebo or the control nasal spray, at both sessions. Subjective pain perception assessed using a cold pressor test. The time participants keep their hand in the cold water (max. 3 min) and their subjective pain perception (measured with a visual analogue scale, VAS) are recorded. This is assessed after repeated administration of the open-label placebo or the control nasal spray, at both measurement sessions.

—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
To explore additional effects on cognitive-emotional processes, the emotional-cognitive working memory task (EMOBACK) is used. In addition, heart rate variability is recorded as a physiological marker at all measurement time points.	—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactAnne Weigand

Medical School Berlin

anne.weigand@medicalschool-berlin.de+49 30 76 68 37 5 600

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Aug 10, 2026