Shock vs magnet: which zaps depression better?
NCT ID NCT07473648
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study compares two brain stimulation treatments—electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and magnetic seizure therapy (MST)—in 200 people with major depression. The goal is to see which one works better and has fewer side effects. Participants must be 12 to 80 years old and on a stable medication plan before joining.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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.
- Ages
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12 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * Aged 12-80 years; * Diagnosis confirmed by two psychiatrists per DSM-5; * Stable medication regimen pre-enrollment; * Indicated for neuromodulation OR with visual field defects. Exclusion Criteria: * Major systemic diseases; * Prior neuromodulation within 3 months; * Pregnancy or potential pregnancy; * Metal implants or claustrophobia.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Anhui Medical University
RECRUITINGHefei, Anhui, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can an antipsychotic boost antidepressants for Hard-to-Treat depression?
- Can a Brain-Zapping combo rewire emotional control in trauma?
- Ketamine probed as a way to rewire irritability circuits in depression
- Can a daily dose of bright light lift teen depression?
- Can video therapy and blood markers help predict and prevent suicide?