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Fibromyalgia (FM)FibFatDCSNCT07573709

Functional and Affective Effects of a Brief tDCS Intervention in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

A study testing Transcraneal Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS) and Transcranial Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS) in people with Fibromyalgia (FM) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), run by Hospital Donostia at 1 site in Spain.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

Functional and Affective Effects of a brief tDCS Intervention in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are characterized by persistent, multidimensional symptoms arising from complex brain-body interactions that impair functioning and quality of life. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Transcraneal Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS) and Transcranial Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS)
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
20 participants
Where
1 siteSpain
Study dates
1 Jan 2025to 30 May 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia
  • Diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome

Who cannot join

  • Having both conditions at the same time

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Spain1 site
  • Hospital Universitario de Donostia

    San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, 20250

Other trials in Spain

About this study

Functional and Affective Effects of a brief tDCS Intervention in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are characterized by persistent, multidimensional symptoms arising from complex brain-body interactions that impair functioning and quality of life. Noninvasive neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have been proposed as adjunctive approaches to support short-term functional changes within distributed neural systems, although evidence remains limited and heterogeneous. The objective is to examine immediate pre-post changes in multidimensional clinical outcomes following a standardized tDCS protocol in patients with FM and CFS, and to explore potential diagnosis-related response patterns.

Read the detailed description

Abstract Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are characterized by persistent, multidimensional symptoms arising from complex brain-body interactions that impair functioning and quality of life. Noninvasive neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have been proposed as adjunctive approaches to support short-term functional changes within distributed neural systems, although evidence remains limited and heterogeneous. Objective: To examine immediate pre-post changes in multidimensional clinical outcomes following a standardized tDCS protocol in patients with FM and CFS, and to explore potential diagnosis-related response patterns. Methods: Fifteen patients (FM: n = 5; CFS: n = 10) received 10 sessions of tDCS (20 minutes per session) administered over two consecutive weeks (five sessions per week). Patient-reported outcomes were assessed at baseline and immediately after treatment completion. Measures included the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Composite Autonomic Symptom Score (COMPASS), pain thermometer, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS). Pre-post comparisons were conducted at the whole-sample level, followed by exploratory analyses stratified by diagnosis. Results: At baseline, patients with FM showed lower COMPASS, FSS, FAS, and HADS scores, and higher SF-36 scores, compared to patients with CFS, indicating a relatively less severe clinical profile. Across the sample, pre-post comparisons indicated improvements in FIQ and HADS scores. Exploratory group-specific analyses suggested that FM patients exhibited reductions in depressive symptoms, whereas CFS patients showed improvements in quality of life (SF-36) and functional impact (FIQ). No significant changes were observed in subjective pain intensity or fatigue severity (FSS). Conclusions: These findings suggest partially distinct clinical profiles and differential responsiveness to tDCS across FM and CFS, within the context of baseline differences between groups. Improvements appeared domain-specific, with affective symptoms responding in FM and functional outcomes in CFS, while core symptoms such as pain and fatigue remained unchanged over the intervention period. This pattern provides preliminary support for the idea that short-term neuromodulation may preferentially influence higher-order regulatory processes rather than core symptom generators, underscoring the need for tailored, multidimensional treatment approaches. Nevertheless, given the small sample size, absence of a control condition, and exploratory nature of subgroup analyses, these results should be interpreted with caution. Further controlled

studies are needed to clarify the reliability, specificity, and clinical relevance of these effects.

Being tested
Transcraneal Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS), Transcranial Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS)
Keywords
tdcs, pain, fatigue
Medical subject headings
Fibromyalgia, Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic, Pain, Fatigue

What participants receive

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

  • Transcraneal Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS)Device

    It is an neuromodulation technic

  • Transcranial Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS)Device

    It is a neuromodulation technic

Study groups in NCT07573709
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
The patients with FibromyalgiaActive comparatorThe same treatment is applied (tDCS)
Receives: Device: Transcraneal Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS)
The patients with chronic fatigue syndromeActive comparatorThe same treatment is applied ( tDCS)
Receives: Device: Transcranial Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS)

What is being measured

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

  1. Visual Pain Scores (VAS)

    It is measured before and inmediately after the treatment ( tDCS) is applied. (0-10) Higher scores mean more pain.

    Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 weeks

  2. Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ)

    It measures the impact of fibromyalgia (Scores: 0-100) The FIQ is scored in such a way that a higher score indicates a greater impact of the syndrome on the person.

    Measured: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 weeks

Timeline

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

  1. First posted7 May 2026
  2. Study start1 Jan 2025
  3. Primary completion1 May 2025
  4. Study completion30 May 2025

Why it stopped: Not stopped. It is completed.

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
Model description
A pilot study in which is investigated the clinical outcomes of transcraneal direct current stimulation in two gruoups: Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome group. All participants received tdcs. Functional outcomes including some scales such as fibromialgia impact questionnaire, SF-36, fatigue severity scale, Visual analog pain scale. The scale scores are analysed pre-post treatment and than is realized the comparison in both of groups.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
20 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07573709
Sponsor's protocol ID
#061CER24
Other IDs
European Regional Development
Acronym
FibFatDCS
Status last verified
May 2026
First submitted
21 Apr 2026
Last updated
7 May 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: IPD may be shared upon reasonable request, subject to ethical approval and data use agreements.

Publications

  • Moldofsky H. Fibromyalgia, sleep disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome. Ciba Found Symp. 1993;173:262-71; discussion 272-9. doi: 10.1002/9780470514382.ch15.

    PubMed 8491102
  • McHorney CA, Ware JE Jr, Lu JF, Sherbourne CD. The MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): III. Tests of data quality, scaling assumptions, and reliability across diverse patient groups. Med Care. 1994 Jan;32(1):40-66. doi: 10.1097/00005650-199401000-00004.

    PubMed 8277801
  • Lloyd DM, Wittkopf PG, Arendsen LJ, Jones AKP. Is Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Effective for the Treatment of Pain in Fibromyalgia? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Pain. 2020 Nov-Dec;21(11-12):1085-1100. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2020.01.003. Epub 2020 Jan 23.

    PubMed 31982685
  • Lerdal A, Kottorp A. Psychometric properties of the Fatigue Severity Scale-Rasch analyses of individual responses in a Norwegian stroke cohort. Int J Nurs Stud. 2011 Oct;48(10):1258-65. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.02.019. Epub 2011 Mar 16.

    PubMed 21414620
  • Hendriks C, Drent M, Elfferich M, De Vries J. The Fatigue Assessment Scale: quality and availability in sarcoidosis and other diseases. Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2018 Sep;24(5):495-503. doi: 10.1097/MCP.0000000000000496.

    PubMed 29889115
  • Hawker GA, Mian S, Kendzerska T, French M. Measures of adult pain: Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS Pain), Numeric Rating Scale for Pain (NRS Pain), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Chronic Pain Grade Scale (CPGS), Short Form-36 Bodily Pain Scale (SF-36 BPS), and Measure of Intermittent and Constant Osteoarthritis Pain (ICOAP). Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2011 Nov;63 Suppl 11:S240-52. doi: 10.1002/acr.20543. No abstract available.

    PubMed 22588748
  • Committee on the Diagnostic Criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Board on the Health of Select Populations; Institute of Medicine. Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Redefining an Illness. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2015 Feb 10. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK274235/

    PubMed 25695122
  • Burckhardt CS, Clark SR, Bennett RM. The fibromyalgia impact questionnaire: development and validation. J Rheumatol. 1991 May;18(5):728-33.

    PubMed 1865419
  • Bartholomew EJ, Medvedev ON, Petrie KJ, Chalder T. Rasch analysis of the hospital anxiety and depression scale in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. J Psychosom Res. 2025 Oct;197:112370. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112370. Epub 2025 Sep 3.

    PubMed 40939313

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Transcraneal Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS) and Transcranial Direct Current Electric Stimulation (tDCS) in people with Fibromyalgia (FM) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), run by Hospital Donostia at 1 site in Spain.

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 2 inclusion and 1 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Spain. 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. 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?

The study was stopped early (reason given: Not stopped. It is completed.). Results are not available in the source record.

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

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Visual Pain Scores (VAS) (time frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 2 weeks). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07573709, which also lists 9 linked publications.

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 7 May 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.

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