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A Preliminary Study of Model-driven Individualized Transcranial Electrical Stimulation for Insomnia

A Preliminary Study of Model-driven Individualized Transcranial Electrical Stimulation for Insomnia

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05445999
Enrollment
20
Registered
2022-07-06
Start date
2023-01-01
Completion date
2025-09-01
Last updated
2025-09-25

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

Conditions

Insomnia

Keywords

Transcranial electrical stimulation

Brief summary

This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and to explore the best individualized stimulus paradigm of transcranial Electrical Stimulation for insomnia patients.

Detailed description

This study is an open-label clinical trial. A total of 40 patients with insomnia who meet the inclusion and exclusion of criteria will be recruited from the SMHC (20) and be assigned to receive individualized tDCS treatment. Patients will undergo ten days of daily individualized tDCS treatment for 20 min (sessions 2-11, SMHC) over a two-week period, which session 7 of patients for re-screening of tDCS target. In addition, normal control subjects and insomnia patients meeting eligibility criteria will be recruited from SMHC to identify biomarkers of wakefulness and sleep through simultaneous fMRI-EEG and high-density EEG recordings. These participants will not receive tDCS and will serve as controls for comparison with the treatment group.

Interventions

DEVICEHigh-Definition transcranial electrical stimulation

The first and final sessions will include clinical assessments and acquisition of MRI and EEG data. To minimize variability, each patient will undergo tDCS at a consistent time in the afternoon or evening and will remain lying in bed with eyes closed throughout stimulation. Stimulation will be delivered using the GTEN 200 system (Magstim EGI, Oregon, USA), which also enables simultaneous EEG recording. The stimulation current will be limited to 1.5 mA, with a maximum of 0.15 mA per electrode (up to 20 electrodes). Electrode placement and current intensity will be individualized to achieve the targeted electric field strength (0.1 or 0.2 V/m at SMHC;). Each session will include 5 min of resting-state EEG immediately before and after stimulation to assess tDCS-induced changes in brain dynamics. Current onset and offset will be gradual, with 2-s ramp-up and ramp-down periods.

Sponsors

Shanghai Mental Health Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 50 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Participants will be recruited from the Shanghai Mental Health Center (SMHC) in Shanghai. Eligible insomnia participants were adults (18-50 years at SMHC) and diagnosed with insomnia disorder according to DSM-5 criteria by neurologists or psychiatrists using the procedure of Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Inclusion criteria were: (1) ≥ 9 years of education, (2) medication-free or had received stable medication for at least 2 months before entering the study and continued the same medication throughout the study.

Exclusion criteria

included: (1) serious medical, neurological, or psychiatric disorders other than anxiety or mild-to-moderate depression secondary to insomnia, (2) obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, (3) pregnancy or recent preparation for pregnancy, (4) previous treatments with ECT, rTMS, tES, and CBT-I.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Insomnia Severity IndexAt baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment (post-treatment, week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6, SMHC)The primary outcome is measured as the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) at baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment (post-treatment, week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6, SMHC).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Beck Depression Inventory, BDIAt baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment (post-treatment, week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6)It consists of 21 items and uses a 0 to 3 severity scale. Total scores range from 0 to 63, with higher scores indicating more severe depression symptoms.
Change in Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAIAt baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment (post-treatment, week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6)It is an inventory of anxiety symptoms with 18 items that are rated on a 5-point Likert scale(0 to 4). Total scores range from 0 to 72, with higher scores indicating more severe anxiety symptoms.
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)At baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment (post-treatment, week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6)Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
sleep DiaryAt baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment (post-treatment, week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3)A daily record of sleep-wake times and related lifestyle factors, such as caffeine intake, naps, and exercise, used to identify patterns and improve sleep
Remission Rateweek 2, weeks 3 and week 6Defined as ISI\<8 based on the previous study
Change in Side-effect questionnaireAt baseline (prior to treatment), after 10 days of treatment (post-treatment, week 2) and follow-up periods (weeks 3 and week 6).It consists of 10-item and uses 0 to 3 severity scale to rate the intensity of side effects. Total scores range from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating more severe side-effect. It also assesses the relation between side-effect and the effects of tDCS using 0 to 4 scale. Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher score indicating the greater relation.

Countries

China

Outcome results

None listed

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