Trial · NCT07203339
Home-based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Compared to Duloxetine: Non-inferiority Clinical Trial (FIBROSTIM)
NCT07203339, Not applicable, Recruiting, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre
3 sourcestrials-2026-11-12-0.5.0
Cite this record
ConductScience Library. Home-based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Compared to Duloxetine: Non-inferiority Clinical Trial (FIBROSTIM). Trials, record NCT07203339. Release trials-2026-11-12-0.5.0, 12 Nov 2026. https://conductscience.org/library/trials/NCT07203339
On this page
Trial
As registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, in the graph's capture of the registry.
- Title
- Home-based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Compared to Duloxetine: Non-inferiority Clinical Trial (FIBROSTIM)
- NCT number
- NCT07203339
- Status
- Recruiting
- Phases
- Not applicable
- Enrollment
- 610 participants, estimated
- Lead sponsor
- Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre
- Conditions
- Fibromyalgia (FM), tDCS, Duloxetine, BDNF, EEG
- Interventions
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) plus placebo., Duloxetine (60 mg) once daily, Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation, Duloxetine 60 mg
- First posted
- 2025-10-02
- Last updated
- 2026-01-06
Source ClinicalTrials.gov
Registered outcomes24
Each outcome the trial registered, primary first, in ClinicalTrials.gov's words.
| List | Outcome | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Evaluation of Pain Interference | Participants will undergo weekly home-based assessments during both the run-in period (Weeks 1 to 3) and the treatment phase (Weeks 4 to 7), as well as at 3, 6, and 12 months after the end of the intervention | The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) assesses pain intensity and interference across seven domains, generating a global interference index using 0-10 scales. |
| Primary | Patient Global Impression of Improvement | To be assessed at Visit 4, after completing the four-week treatment with either active (a-tDCS), s-tDCS), or duloxetine | Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I): A 7-point scale that assesses the patient's overall perception of change in their condition, ranging from 'very much worse' (1) to 'very much improved' (7). Higher scores indicate greater perceived improvement (e.g., reduced symptoms or better functioning), while lower scores reflect worsening of symptoms or condition. |
| Primary | Impact of fibromyalgia symptoms on quality of life | Participants will be assessed at Visit 1 (prior to the run-in period), at Visit 4 (after completing the four-week treatment with active [a-tDCS], sham [s-tDCS], or duloxetine), and again at 3, 6, and 12 months following the end of the treatment. | Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ): Brazilian version assessing quality of life across function, overall impact, and symptoms. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater impact of fibromyalgia on the individual's daily life and functioning. |
| Primary | Cognitive symptoms | Participants will be assessed at Visit 1 (before the run-in period), at Visit 4 (after completing the four-week treatment with active [a-tDCS], sham [s-tDCS], or duloxetine), and again at 3, 6, and 12 months after the end of the treatment. | Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (Short Form).Each item is rated on a Likert scale from 1 (never or rarely) to 4 (very often), resulting in a total score range of 20 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater executive functioning impairment |
| Primary | Function of the descending pain inhibitory system | Participants will be assessed at Visit 1 (before the run-in period) and at Visit 4 (after completing the four-week treatment with active [a-tDCS], sham [s-tDCS], or duloxetine). | Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) test: This test assesses descending pain inhibition. This test assesses the efficiency of descending pain inhibitory pathways. Pain intensity is rated using a verbal numerical rating scale (0 = no pain to 10 = worst possible pain) before (T0) and during (T1) cold-water immersion. The CPM effect is calculated as the difference between pain ratings at T0 and T1, with greater reductions indicating more effective pain inhibition. |
| Primary | Cortical Electrical Activity | Participants will be assessed at Visit 1 (before the run-in period) and at Visit 4 (after completing the four-week treatment with active [a-tDCS], sham [s-tDCS], or duloxetine). | Cortical electrical activity will be assessed using resting-state electroencephalography (EEG). Recordings will be performed in a quiet room, with participants seated comfortably and instructed to remain relaxed and still. EEG data will be collected during eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions using a 64-channel EEG system. Signals will be recorded with a band-pass filter of 0.3-200 Hz and a sampling rate of 250 Hz. Spectral power measures will be analyzed to characterize cortical oscillatory activity associated with pain processing and central sensitization in fibromyalgia. |
| Secondary | Depressive Symptoms | Assessment timepoints: Baseline; Week 8 (Visit 4/after completing the four-week treatment with active [a-tDCS], sham [s-tDCS], or duloxetine); 3 months post-treatment; 6 months post-treatment; 12 months post-treatment. | Assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), a 21-item self-report questionnaire with total scores ranging from 0 to 63. Higher scores indicate greater severity of depressive symptoms |
| Secondary | Subjective Sleep Quality | Assessment timepoints: Baseline; Week 8 (Visit 4/after completing the four-week treatment with active [a-tDCS], sham [s-tDCS], or duloxetine); 3 months post-treatment; 6 months post-treatment; 12 months post-treatment. | Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a self-questionnaire that evaluates sleep quality over the past month. It generates a global score ranging from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality. |
| Secondary | Circadian Profile (Chronotype) | Assessment timepoints: Baseline; Week 8 (Visit 4/after completing the four-week treatment with active [a-tDCS], sham [s-tDCS], or duloxetine); 3 months post-treatment; 6 months post-treatment; 12 months post-treatment. | Chronotype will be measured using the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (MCTQ) which evaluates individual sleep-wake patterns and chronotype based on the timing of sleep on workdays and free days. The key metric is the mid-sleep point on free days (MSF), which is based on sleep onset and wake-up times. The corrected version (MSFsc) accounts for workweek sleep debt and better reflects chronotype: lower values indicate morning types; higher values, evening types. |
| Secondary | Objective Sleep and Activity (Actigraphy) | Actigraph use during the run-in period (Weeks 1 to 3) and throughout the treatment phase (weeks 4 to 7) | Actigraphy (accelerometer) assesses sleep quality and physical mobility. Mean values are calculated across days for parameters such as total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and activity levels. Higher sleep efficiency and activity indicate better sleep quality and physical functioning; lower values suggest disturbances or impairment. |
1 to 10 of 24Source ClinicalTrials.gov
See all 24 registered outcomesOutcomes0
Each outcome the trial posted results for, in ClinicalTrials.gov's words.
None in this release.
Results by group0
Each measurement the trial posted, group by group, in the words and numbers it posted.
None in this release.
Participant flow0
How many started, completed or left each group, period by period.
None in this release.
Adverse events0
Each adverse event the trial posted, group by group: the participants affected out of those at risk.
None in this release.
Adverse event totals0
The totals the trial posted for each group.
None in this release.
Papers7
The papers the trial lists on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Grants0
The grants NIH RePORTER links to the trial, newest funded first: NIH's, and some of AHRQ's, CDC's, FDA's and VA's. Each shows its title, principal investigators, organization and funder in its newest year.
None in this release.
Trial comparisons0
Comparisons of the trial's two groups, calculated by ConductScience from the counts it posted.
None in this release.
Tests5
The ConductCognition tests this trial's registered outcomes name, as ScienceGraph matched them in trial-tests-2026-11-12-0.2.1.
| Test | Named as | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Digit Span Test | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Stop-Signal Task | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Symbol Scan Task | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Trail Making Test A | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
| Trail Making Test B | Secondary outcome | ConductCognition |
Data dates
The day each source was copied for this release.
Sources 3
- ClinicalTrials.gov's posted results, through CTTI's AACTFreely available. Acknowledgement requested
- ClinicalTrials.govNo license stated
- NIH RePORTER's clinical studies and project filesPublic domain
Each source's terms
- ClinicalTrials.gov's posted results, through CTTI's AACTClinicalTrials.gov data via Aggregate Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov (AACT), CTTI. CTTI makes its materials freely available and requests acknowledgement. https://aact.ctti-clinicaltrials.org/documentation/299
- ClinicalTrials.govnone stated
- NIH RePORTER's clinical studies and project filesPublic domain (NIH RePORTER)
ClinicalTrials.gov's data carry an international copyright outside the United States: https://clinicaltrials.gov/about-site/terms-conditions.
For software
Read this trial from software.
The record and each of its lists are JSON, twenty rows a page. No key.
GET https://conductscience.org/api/trials/v1/NCT07203339
GET https://conductscience.org/api/trials/v1/NCT07203339/registered?page=2