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Purpose

The main goal of this study is to improve dysexecutive symptoms (e.g., sustained attention, processing speed) in patients exhibiting post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) through home-based transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a noninvasive method that uses low intensity electric currents delivered to the brain through stimulation electrodes on the scalp.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 65 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Ability to provide informed consent - A diagnosis of PASC as indicated by past COVID-19 infection, and persistent symptoms, including 'brain fog', confusion, short-term memory deficits, trouble concentrating, delirium, difficulties in multitasking.

Exclusion Criteria

  • History of epilepsy - Metallic implants in the head and neck, - Brain stimulators - Pacemakers - Pregnancy - Active substance dependence (except for tobacco) - Premorbid major neurological illness - Severe mental illness (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia) - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Active tDCS 		This group will receive daily active stimulation (2 mA) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 4 weeks through a home-based tDCS device in remotely-supervised 30-min sessions.
  • Device: Active tDCS
    2 mA of anodal stimulation will be applied to the left prefrontal cortex over the F3 electrode based on the International 10-10 EEG system.
Sham Comparator
Sham tDCS 		This group will receive daily sham stimulation to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 4 weeks through a home-based tDCS device in remotely-supervised 30-min sessions.
  • Device: Sham tDCS
    Sham stimulation will be applied to the left prefrontal cortex over the F3 electrode.

Recruiting Locations

Massachusetts General Hospital
Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129
Contact:
Alexandra O'Neill, B.S.
617-726-8753
agoneill@mgh.harvard.edu

More Details

NCT ID
NCT05092516
Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Massachusetts General Hospital

Study Contact

Hamdi Eryilmaz, Ph.D.
6176437462
hamdi.eryilmaz@mgh.harvard.edu

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.