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Can brain stimulation rewire how depressed patients learn from rewards?

NCT ID NCT07823218

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Dr. Nils B. Kroemer Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are studying how four types of brain stimulation for depression, ECT, TMS, VNS, and taVNS, affect decision-making and reward learning over time. About 100 patients receiving these treatments at a German hospital complete repeated online tasks that measure how they learn from rewards and punishments. The goal is to see whether changes in these thinking patterns track with changes in depression symptoms.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
brain stimulation techniques including ECT, TMS, VNS, and taVNS
What this could lead to
If the study finds links between stimulation, decision-making, and mood, it could help doctors choose or tailor brain stimulation treatments for depression.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, so it cannot prove that stimulation causes any changes in thinking or mood. Results may not apply to people outside this German clinic.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Participants

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Sep 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Aug 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Who is studied

The study population consists of patients in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Bonn, who receive an indication for a brain stimulation treatment (ECT, TMS, VNS, taVNS).

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Indication for a brain stimulation treatment (ECT, TMS, VNS, taVNS) in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Bonn * Be able and willing to provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Non-German speakers * Unclear ability to give consent to the study participation

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Depression major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Depression - major depressive disorder

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Section of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn

    Bonn, 53127, Germany

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