Transcranial Electrical Stimulation in the Treatment of Acute Anxiety Induced by Stressful Life Events: A Pilot Study

Optimizing Electrical Stimulation for Clinical Applications (the OptES Study): Severe Psychological Stress - a Pilot Study (OptES-Stress-pilot)

Status

UNKNOWN

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT02320370

Acronym

OptesStressP

Enrollment

Registered

2014-12-19

Start date

2015-01-31

Completion date

2016-03-31

Last updated

2014-12-19

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

Conditions

Anxiety

Brief summary

The investigators examine the efficacy of two different transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) stimulation protocols in the treatment of acute anxiety in an open-label pilot study in patients who have faced severely stressful life events.

Detailed description

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a novel neuromodulation method that has been observed to be promising in treatment of psychiatric disorders such as depression. Nevertheless, knowledge related to the treatment of psychological stress and its main symptom, anxiety, is very scarce. The investigators examine the efficacy of two different transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) stimulation protocols in the treatment of acute anxiety in an open-label pilot study in patients who have faced severely stressful life events.

Interventions

DEVICENeuroConn DC Stimulator Plus tDCS

transcranial electrical stimulation intervention with two experimental protocols

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 65 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Age 18-65 years * Naïve to tDCS * Right-handed * Impact of Event Scale Scores ≥ 30

Exclusion criteria

* Metal implants inside skull or eye * Severe skin lesions at the electrode placement area * History of epilepsy or previous seizures * Pregnant or breast-feeding * Pacemaker * History of intracerebral bleeding during the past six months * Major psychiatric conditions according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders, i.e., Lifetime diagnoses of bipolar mood disorder or psychotic disorder * DSM-IV diagnosis for one or more of the following conditions during the past six months: unipolar mood disorder, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, or substance dependence/abuse. * Use of psychotropic medication (i.e., antipsychotic and antidepressant medications, mood stabilizers, psychostimulants, hypnotics and tranquilizers) during the past six months

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Impact of Event Scale (Change in scores of event-related anxiety)	12 days	Change in scores of event-related anxiety

Contacts

Primary ContactSoili M Lehto, MD, PhD

soili.lehto@kuh.fi+358 44 717 2971

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026