At‑home tDCS maintenance for depression

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This open-label pilot enrolls adults who improved or stabilized after acute inpatient treatments such as esketamine, rTMS, or ECT and provides standardized training plus a portable tDCS device for home use. Participants complete 20 home sessions over four weeks with remote monitoring and a two-week follow-up, and clinicians collect self-report and clinician-rated mood scales. The primary focus is feasibility and tolerability—whether participants reliably complete the home program and remain in the study—and secondarily to look for early signs of maintained symptom improvement. Safety exclusions include high suicide risk, implants near the head, or significant skin disease at electrode sites.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adults (≥18 years).
* Diagnosis according to ICD-10: recurrent depressive disorder, severe depressive disorder, schizoaffective disorder (depressive episode) or bipolar affective disorder (depressive episode).
* Clear indication for maintenance therapy after successful acute treatment (esketamine, rTMS, or ECT) with remission/improvement of symptoms.
* Capacity to provide informed consent, confirmed in a physician-led consent discussion.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Currently in the acute treatment phase of an affective disorder and non-response to previous treatments.
* Currently clinically relevant Axis II disorders.
* Suicidal risk, including suicidal ideation.
* Contraindications for tDCS: e.g., skin disease at electrode sites, cochlear implants.
* Neurological, somatic, or psychiatric comorbidities that could compromise validity or safety.

Where it's running

• Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technical University of Munich, University Hospital
  München, Germany Recruiting
• Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Munich,
  München, Bavaria, Germany Enrolling by invitation

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Ulrike Vogelmann, Dr. med.
• Email: ulrike.vogelmann@mri.tum.de
• Phone: +4917661535471

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

• Sensation Seeking and TMS Response in TRD: Does Personality Shape Treatment Outcomes?

  This real-world study tests whether people with treatment-resistant depression who have higher sensation-seeking traits respond differently to TMS treatment.

  Recruiting Technical University of Munich · München, Bavaria · NCT07889739

• Sleep-to-Mood in Depression: Home-based tDCS

  This study tests whether home-based tDCS for adults with moderate depression helps sleep improve and whether better sleep is linked to mood improvements.

  Recruiting NYU Langone Health · New York, New York · NCT07572526

• Remote monitoring for adults with depression using ThIA Suivi

  This study tests whether adding the ThIA Suivi remote monitoring tool to usual psychiatric care helps adults with depression feel more improved after 3 months compared with standard care alone.

  Recruiting at 3 sites Phase 1 ThIA Santé Mentale · Bron and 2 other locations · NCT07878754

• EEG microstates and inflammatory markers in treatment-resistant depression patients undergoing ECT

  This study tests how electroconvulsive therapy affects brain activity patterns seen in EEG and inflammatory biomarkers in adults with treatment-resistant major depression.

  Recruiting Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa · Istanbul, Bakırköy · NCT07748091

• EEG microstates and inflammatory biomarkers in older adults with major depression receiving ECT

  This study tests how ECT affects brain wave patterns and inflammatory markers in people 55 and older with major depression.

  Recruiting Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa · Istanbul, Bakırköy · NCT07740694

• Inhaled DMT for major depressive disorder

  This trial tests whether inhaled DMT can quickly ease depressive symptoms and reduce suicide risk in adults with major depressive disorder.

  Recruiting Phase 2 Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte · Fortaleza, Ceará and 4 other locations · NCT07562191

How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.