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Major DepressionNCT05097586

RCT of At-Home tDCS for Depression in Pregnancy

A study testing active tDCS and workbook in people with Major Depression and Pregnancy, run by Women's College Hospital at 2 sites in Canada.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

This is a randomized, sham-controlled trial to determine whether treatment with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is superior to a sham condition at reducing the symptoms of depression in pregnant people with moderate to severe depression. The study aims to enrol 156 participants across all sites. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older, women only
Conditions the study is for
Major Depression, Pregnancy, Postpartum Depression
What is being tested?
active tDCS and workbook
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
156 participants
Where
2 sitesCanada
Study dates
8 Nov 2021to 30 Jun 2028
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • Women only
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adult, ≥18 years of age
  • Singleton pregnancy, 12 to end of 32 weeks single gestation at randomization
  • In a major depressive episode (MDE) with at least moderate symptom severity (PHQ-9 ≥10 and confirmed using MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview as MDE without psychotic features)
  • Assessed by a psychiatrist at one of the study recruitment sites during pregnancy, and offered the option of antidepressant medication for treatment but declined to use
  • No new treatments for depression (i.e. psychological or somatic) and no pharmacological treatment for depression in the 4 weeks prior to starting treatment

Who cannot join

  • Active alcohol or substance use disorder in previous 12 months as assessed by GAIN-SS
  • Active suicidality as assessed by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
  • Bipolar disorder as assessed by MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview
  • Schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder as assessed by MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview
  • Major unstable or life-threatening medical illness (e.g. such as advanced cancer), pre-eclampsia/eclampsia in current pregnancy or neurologic illness or seizure history
  • Major congenital anomalies or major obstetrical complications in current pregnancy (determined by clinical PI/Co-I assessment)
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Metal implants in cranium or any electrical implants
  • Benzodiazepine (except intermittent low-dose lorazepam no more than 2mg equivalent per day) or anticonvulsant use as these interfere with anodal tDCS
  • Visibly non-intact skin/rash on scalp areas at stimulation electrode sites
  • Unable to consent or complete study measures in English, or unable to complete depression in pregnancy workbook (the attention-control) in French or English

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Canada2 sites, 2 recruiting
  • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

    Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3M5

    Sophie Grigoriadis, MD, 416-480-5677, sophie.grigoriadis@sunnybrook.ca

    Sophie Grigoriadis, MD

    Recruiting
  • Women's College Hospital

    Toronto, Ontario, M5S1B2

    Simone Vigod, MD, 4163236400 ext. 4080, simone.vigod@wchospital.ca

    Simone Vigod

    Recruiting

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Randomized Controlled Trial of At-home Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Depression in Pregnancy

This is a randomized, sham-controlled trial to determine whether treatment with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is superior to a sham condition at reducing the symptoms of depression in pregnant people with moderate to severe depression. The study aims to enrol 156 participants across all sites. Data collection occurs at baseline, immediately after treatment, every 4 weeks during pregnancy and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum

Read the detailed description

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a brain stimulation technique for the treatment of depression that has great potential for filling the gap in treatment options for moderate and severe depression in pregnancy. Participants are randomized 1:1 to active tDCS treatment or sham control. After at least one in-person training session with the research team, participants take the tDCS device home and self-administer 30-minute treatments 5 times per week, for 3 weeks, for a total of 15 sessions. Rater-administered and self-report outcomes are collected weekly during the 3-week active treatment phase, every 4 weeks during pregnancy, and at 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum. A mixed methods process evaluation is embedded into the trial.

Being tested
active tDCS, workbook, sham tDCS
Keywords
Pregnancy, Depression, Transcranial direct current stimulation
Medical subject headings
Depressive Disorder, Major, Depression, Postpartum, Depression

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • active tDCSDevice

    2mA of direct current delivered in 15 sessions lasting 30 minutes each over 3 weeks

  • workbookOther

    Self-directed depression in pregnancy workbook completed during each session to control the in-session brain state

  • sham tDCSDevice

    Sham stimulation in which the current turns off after 30 seconds in a slow ramp down that mirrors sensory adaptation in ongoing stimulation, delivered in 15 sessions lasting 30 minutes each over 3 weeks

Study groups in NCT05097586
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
active tDCSExperimental2mA of direct current delivered to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 30 minutes each, 5 times per week for 3 weeks, for a total of 15 sessions using the Soterix Medical tDCS mini-CT model 1601-LTE.
Receives: Device: active tDCS; Other: workbook
controlSham comparatorSham stimulation where the current is turned off after 30 seconds in a slow ramp down, delivered to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 30 minutes each, 5 times per week for 3 weeks, for a total of 15 sessions using the Soterix Medical tDCS mini-CT model 1601-LTE.
Receives: Other: workbook; Device: sham tDCS

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Depressive symptoms post treatment

    Depressive symptoms are measured with the 10-item rater-administered Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).The MADRS is a standard rater-administered measure with good reliability and validity in clinical populations; interviewers can achieve and maintain high levels of inter-rater reliability. Nine items are based upon patient report and one on rater observation. Items are rated on a 0-6 continuum (0=no abnormality, 6=severe; score range 0-60). A MADRS score of <11 indicates remission. With 80% power, and a type 1 error rate of 0.05 we would require a sample size of 104 (52/group) to detect a statistically significant difference between tDCS and Sham on the primary outcome.

    Measured: End of Week 3 of treatment

Secondary outcomes (14)
  1. Remission of depression

    Measured with the 10-item rater-administered Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).The MADRS is a standard rater-administered measure with good reliability and validity in clinical populations; interviewers can achieve and maintain high levels of inter-rater reliability. Nine items are based upon patient report and one on rater observation. Items are rated on a 0-6 continuum (0=no abnormality, 6=severe; score range 0-60). A MADRS score of <11 indicates remission. With 80% power, and a type 1 error rate of 0.05 we would require a sample size of 124 (62/group) to detect a statistically significant difference between tDCS and Sham on this main secondary outcome.

    Measured: 4 weeks postpartum

  2. Depressive symptoms

    measured with the 10-item rater-administered Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).The MADRS is a standard rater-administered measure with good reliability and validity in clinical populations; interviewers can achieve and maintain high levels of inter-rater reliability. Nine items are based upon patient report and one on rater observation. Items are rated on a 0-6 continuum (0=no abnormality, 6=severe; score range 0-60). A lower score indicates less severe symptoms.

    Measured: End of Week 1, and Week 2 of treatment, q4 weeks during pregnancy, and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum

  3. Self-reported depressive symptoms

    Depressive symptoms will be measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depressive Scale (EPDS), a self-report scale that has been validated for use in pregnancy and postpartum. EPDS scores range from 0 to 30. EPDS scores >12 are predictive of a diagnosis of depression, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms

    Measured: End of Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3 of treatment, q4 weeks during pregnancy (up to 28 weeks), and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

  4. Self-reported anxiety symptoms

    Measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale which is a self-report scale with good discriminate validity in perinatal populations. GAD-7 scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms

    Measured: End of Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3 of treatment, q4 weeks during pregnancy (up to 28 weeks), and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

  5. Maternal Quality of Life (QoL)

    Measured using 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12), a 12-item measure often used to estimate quality-adjusted life year (QALY), a preference-based utility measure of health-related QoL as perceived by the patient and the gold standard measure of effectiveness recommended for economic evaluation. SF12 scores consist of Physical and Mental Component Summaries. Scores range from 0-100 with higher scores indicating better functioning

    Measured: End of Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3 of treatment, q4 weeks during pregnancy (up to 28 weeks), and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

  6. Health Service Use: Health System Costs

    Calculated from participant self-report of medical costs such as hospitalization, visits with health professionals and medications

    Measured: End of Week 3 of treatment, q4 weeks during pregnancy (up to 28 weeks), and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

  7. Health Service Use: Productivity Loss

    Calculated from participant self-report of activities and time commitment related to attending appointments and obtaining services, work absences of the patient and family members

    Measured: End of Week 3 of treatment, q4 weeks during pregnancy (up to 28 weeks), and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

  8. Health Service Use: Participant Cost

    Calculated from participant self-report of costs related to attending appointments and obtaining services

    Measured: End of Week 3 of treatment, q4 weeks during pregnancy (up to 28 weeks), and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

  9. Dyadic Relationship

    Relationship satisfaction measured using the Dyadic Consensus Subscale, a 13-item subscale of the 32-item Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS). This self-report measure of the extent of agreement between partners is valid for measuring overall dyadic adjustment. Higher scores indicate a higher degree of dyadic consensus

    Measured: End of Week 3 of treatment, q4 weeks during pregnancy (up to 28 weeks), and 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

  10. Maternal Birth Outcomes

    Self-reported pregnancy and birth complications querying indicators recommended by the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System (CPSS)

    Measured: End of Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3 of treatment, q4 weeks during pregnancy (up to 28 weeks), and 4 weeks postpartum (up to 32 weeks)

  11. Neonatal Birth Outcomes

    Self-reported neonatal birth outcomes including medical conditions and complications querying indicators recommended by the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System (CPSS)

    Measured: 4 weeks postpartum (up to 32 weeks)

  12. Maternal Child Relationship

    Parenting stress is measured by the Parenting Stress Index Short Form (PSI-SF) which is a 36-item measure consisting of 6 sub-scales: parental distress, dysfunction in the parent-child relations and difficult child. Scores range from 36 to 180. Higher scores indicate higher levels of parenting stress

    Measured: 4-, 12-, 26- and 52-weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

  13. Infant Temperament

    Measured using the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ). The ICQ is a 27-item questionnaire with each item coded 1-7. Higher scores indicate higher parental perceptions of difficult infant temperament

    Measured: 12 and 52 weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

  14. Child Development

    Assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3), a 30-item instrument that screens for child development from 1 to 60 months

    Measured: 12 and 52 weeks postpartum (up to 80 weeks)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted28 Oct 2021
  2. Study start8 Nov 2021
  3. Primary completion31 Mar 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Jun 2028 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
156 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05097586
Sponsor's protocol ID
CTO Project ID: 3263
Status last verified
Jul 2026
First submitted
1 Oct 2021
Last updated
10 Aug 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing active tDCS and workbook in people with Major Depression and Pregnancy, run by Women's College Hospital at 2 sites in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Simone Vigod (4163236400 ext. 4080, simone.vigod@wchospital.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Depressive symptoms post treatment (time frame: End of Week 3 of treatment). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 10 Aug 2026.

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