Transcranial Direct Stimulation for Persistent Fatigue Treatment Post-COVID-19

Modulation of Post-COVID-19 Fatigue Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. Transcranial Direct Stimulation for Persistent Fatigue Treatment Post-COVID-19

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT05252481

Acronym

STIMULATECOVID

Enrollment

Registered

2022-02-23

Start date

2022-04-01

Completion date

2022-07-31

Last updated

2022-08-22

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

Conditions

COVID-19

Keywords

Post-COVID-19 syndrome, Post-COVID-19 condition, Persistent COVID-19, Long-Haul COVID-19, Fatigue

Brief summary

Fatigue is common and disabling in patients with post-COVID syndrome. There is no treatment available at this moment, and fatigue has important consequences. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the changes in the severity of fatigue using non-invasive neuromodulation in patients with post-COVID condition. This is a randomized, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial using transcranial direct current stimulation. Secondary aims include changes in cognition, depression, and quality of life.

Interventions

DEVICEActive tDCS

Eight sessions of transcranial current direct stimulation

DEVICESham tDCS

Eight sessions of transcranial current direct stimulation (sham)

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of COVID-19 with PCR-confirmation. * Fatigue linked to COVID-19 * No diagnosis of neurological, psychiatric or medical disorder with potential impact on fatigue.

Exclusion criteria

* Stroke before COVID-19 * History of traumatic brain lesion or central nervous system infection previous to COVID-19 * Radiotherapy or chemotherapy for cancer * Severe sensorial deficits * Drugs or uncontrolled medical disorder with potential impact on fatigue. * History of abuse of alcohol or other toxics. * Any contraindication for tDCS (metallic implants, brain devices, pacemakers, head injuries).

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in Fatigue	2 weeks	Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS)

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Change in cognition	2 weeks	Stroop Test
Change in depressive symptoms	2 weeks	Beck Depression Inventory II
Change in quality of life	2 weeks	EuroQuol-5D

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

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