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Optimizing Brain Excitability in Depression

Optimized Methods for Measuring Brain Excitability in Depression

Who can join

As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.

Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Compensation
Not stated

Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

What to expect

No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.

What participation involves

Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.

Compensation
Not stated
  • Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
  • Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
  • Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
  • Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.

About this study

In plain language

This study uses a method called TARGET to find reliable ways to measure how the front part of the brain responds to stimulation. The goal is to improve depression treatment for adults ages 18 to 65 with depression. The listing also includes some adults with epilepsy, a condition that causes seizures.

The goal of this study is to improve depression treatment by establishing reliable prefrontal excitability markers through Targeting with Automated Real-time Guidance for Enhancing TEPs (TARGET).

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • Adults ages 18 to 65.
  • Have major depression and are currently having a period of depression, confirmed through a structured interview.
  • Have moderate-to-severe depression, with a score of 11 to 20 on the QIDS depression survey.
  • Understand English well enough to follow instructions for brain wave tests, magnetic brain stimulation, and symptom surveys.
  • Have no current or past nervous system disorders.
  • Have no seizure disorder or risk of seizures.
  • The listing also allows adults ages 18 to 65 whose epilepsy has not responded to medicine and who are in the hospital for phase II monitoring inside the skull to find where seizures start. They must be able to understand and agree to join the study.

Who can't join

  • Cannot safely have an MRI scan, for example because of metal inside the body.
  • Had a head injury that caused loss of consciousness.
  • Have had seizures or take medicines that raise seizure risk, such as olanzapine, chlorpromazine, or lithium.
  • Have a nervous system disease, an uncontrolled medical disease, or any unstable medical condition.
  • Currently misuse alcohol or drugs, or have a psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder.
  • Had electroconvulsive therapy (ECT, a treatment using electrical currents) that did not work, or had repeated magnetic brain stimulation (rTMS) in the past 6 months.
  • Attempted suicide in the past year.
  • Are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Men and women, ages 18 to 65 * Diagnosis of major depressive disorder, assessed through a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) * In a current depressive episode, assessed through a Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (SCID-5) * Moderate-to-severe depression as indicated by a score between 11-20 on the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS) * Must comprehend English well to ensure adequate comprehension of the EEG and TMS instructions, and of clinical scales * No current or history of neurological disorders * No seizure disorder or risk of seizures * Neurosurgical patients: Men and women ages 18-65 with medication-refractory epilepsy who are admitted for phase II intracranial monitoring to detect a seizure focus will be considered appropriate for this study. Participants must have the intellectual capacity to understand the consent process and agree to the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Those with a contraindication for MRIs (e.g. implanted metal) * History of head trauma with loss of consciousness * History of seizures or on medications that reduce seizure threshold (e.g., olanzapine, chlorpromazine, lithium) * Neurological or uncontrolled medical disease * Any unstable medical condition * Active substance abuse * Diagnosis of psychotic or bipolar disorder * A prior history of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) failure * History of suicide attempt in the past year * Currently pregnant or breastfeeding * Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment in the past six months

Study sites (2)

CA