NCT07818668

tACS for Self-Other Boundary in Schizophrenia

StatusRecruiting

PhaseNot applicable

SponsorChunyan Zhu

Primary completionSep 15, 2027 (estimated)

Track this trial

Free. We email you which fields changed when ClinicalTrials.gov updates this record.

Record History

All 2 versions: 1 with changes below, 1 re-verified with no change.

Sep 10, 2026 Study First Submitted

Endpoints

Primary

Change in Self-Other Face Recognition Sensitivity (d')

Timeframe: Baseline (pre-intervention) and 48 hours after the last tACS session

Change in Medial Prefrontal Cortex Alpha-Band Oscillatory Power

Timeframe: Baseline (pre-intervention) and 48 hours after the last tACS session

Arms and interventions

Active tACS GroupActive comparator

Participants receive 10Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 2mA intensity, targeting the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), for 20 minutes per day over 5 consecutive days.

Sham tACS GroupSham comparator

Participants receive sham stimulation with identical electrode placement and procedures as the active group, but current is delivered only during the 30-second ramp-up and ramp-down periods, with no active stimulation for the remainder of the 20-minute session.

Devices: Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS), Sham Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)

Sites

1 site in 1 country

The Fourth People's Hospital of HefeiHefei, Anhui, China

About this trial

This clinical trial investigates whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can improve the ability to distinguish between "self" and "others" in patients with schizophrenia. The intervention targets the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a brain region critical for self-awareness, using 10Hz stimulation at 2mA for 20 minutes daily over five consecutive days. The study has two main objectives. First, it aims to characterize the underlying mechanisms of self-other boundary dysfunction in schizophrenia by comparing behavioral and brain activity patterns among three participant groups: patients with schizophrenia, individuals with high schizotypal traits, and healthy volunteers. During this mechanism phase, participants perform two computer-based self-other face recognition tasks designed to manipulate prior probability (varying the proportion of self vs. other faces across blocks) and perceptual uncertainty (adjusting the Gaussian blur level of face images), while their brain activity is recorded via EEG. Behavioral performance (response time, accuracy, and sensitivity d') and EEG markers (alpha-band power, N170, and P1 components) are analyzed to quantify deficits in predictive coding. Second, the study aims to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of tACS in a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial. The primary hypothesis is that active tACS, compared to sham stimulation, will significantly improve patients' accuracy in distinguishing self from other faces, accompanied by enhanced alpha-band brain oscillations and reduced scores on the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE) scale. All participants will undergo clinical assessments, complete the face recognition tasks while their brain activity is monitored via EEG, and complete follow-up assessments 48 hours after the last stimulation session. The findings from this study may provide a novel, mechanism-based non-pharmacological intervention for addressing core self-disturbance in schizophrenia, potentially improving patients' social functioning and quality of life.

Trial details

Enrollment: 100 participants (estimated)
Started: Mar 17, 2026
Study completion: Sep 30, 2027 (estimated)
Eligibility: 18 to 50, all sexes, no healthy volunteers
Design: Interventional, randomized, double blind, treatment
Oversight: Data monitoring committee
Conditions: Psychotic Disorders, Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia / Schizoaffective Disorder
Official title: Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) at 10 Hz Targeting Medial Prefrontal Cortex for Improving Self-Other Differentiation in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial
First posted: Sep 14, 2026
Registry updated: Sep 17, 2026
Last verified: Sep 2026

Related trials at risk

View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗