The effectiveness of brain stimulation on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

The effectiveness of bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) on attentional and memory bias and dissociative reactions in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

IRCT

Registry ID

IRCT20231114060051N1

Enrollment

Registered

2023-11-25

Start date

2023-12-11

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-01-08

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

Conditions

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Interventions

Intervention 1: Intervention group: The participants of the intervention group will be undergoing electrical stimulation. The target brain areas for stimulation will be the left and right dorsolateral

however, the current will ramp up and ramp down at the early seconds of the beginning and end of the session without participants’ awareness.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

Male

Age

20 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Diagnosed with PTSD by a professional psychiatrist

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Having a history of epilepsy, seizure, traumatic brain injury, and neurological surgery Having a history of other major psychiatric disorders

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Attention bias: Attention bias and selective attention to negative and trauma-related stimuli. Timepoint: Before intervention, Right after intervention, one month after intervention. Method of measurement: The accuracy and speed of responses in the dot probe and Stroop tasks will be an index of attention bias in the present study.;Memory bias: the preference of the memory to recognize and recall negative and trauma-related information. Timepoint: Before intervention, Right after intervention, one month after intervention. Method of measurement: Autobiographical memory test.;Dissociative reactions (flashbacks): One of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in which the patient acts as if they are re-experiencing the traumatic event. Timepoint: Before intervention, Right after intervention, one month after intervention. Method of measurement: Participants' score in the intrusion symptoms subscale (flashbacks) of the PCL-5 rating scale.	—

Measure

Time frame

Attention bias: Attention bias and selective attention to negative and trauma-related stimuli. Timepoint: Before intervention, Right after intervention, one month after intervention. Method of measurement: The accuracy and speed of responses in the dot probe and Stroop tasks will be an index of attention bias in the present study.;Memory bias: the preference of the memory to recognize and recall negative and trauma-related information. Timepoint: Before intervention, Right after intervention, one month after intervention. Method of measurement: Autobiographical memory test.;Dissociative reactions (flashbacks): One of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in which the patient acts as if they are re-experiencing the traumatic event. Timepoint: Before intervention, Right after intervention, one month after intervention. Method of measurement: Participants' score in the intrusion symptoms subscale (flashbacks) of the PCL-5 rating scale.

—

Countries

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Contacts

Public ContactMohammad Javad Ahmadizadeh

Bagheiat-allah University of Medical Sciences

mjahmadizadeh@yahoo.com+98 21 8755 4341

Outcome results

None listed

Source: IRCT (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026