Exercise + brain zaps: new hope for stubborn depression?

NCT ID NCT06773949

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tests if adding structured exercise to a brain stimulation treatment called iTBS can help people with depression that hasn't improved with medication. Twenty physically inactive adults with difficult-to-treat depression will either get iTBS alone or iTBS plus exercise. The goal is to see if the combination is feasible and more effective at reducing depressive symptoms.

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.

Phase

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

About 20 people

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

Expected to start

Dec 2025

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Jan 2027

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.

Ages

18 to 75 years

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: 1. Are between 18-75 years old. 2. Able to provide voluntary informed consent. 3. Diagnosis of MDD or Persistent Depressive Disorder, without psychotic features, confirmed by MINI for DSM-5. 4. Depressive symptoms have not improved after ≥ 1 adequate antidepressant trial in the current episode (i.e., difficult-to-treat MDD), based on the Antidepressant Treatment History Form (ATHF). 5. Baseline score of ≥15 on the HRSD-17. 6. No change in psychotropic medications or psychotherapy regimen at least 4 weeks prior to entering the trial 7. Physically inactive as per the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF). 8. Able to engage in structured exercise as per the Get Active Questionnaire (GAQ). 9. Able to adhere to the proposed treatment schedule. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder, based on DSM-5 criteria. 2. Current or past (\<3 months) substance (excluding caffeine or nicotine) or alcohol abuse/dependence, as defined in DSM-5 criteria. 3. Current use of illegal substances. 4. Current use of cannabis. 5. Concomitant major unstable medical or neurologic illness (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes or renal dysfunction). 6. Organic cause of the depressive symptoms (e.g. thyroid dysfunctions), determined by the referring physician. 7. Acute suicidality or threat to life from self-neglect. 8. Pregnant or breastfeeding, or thinking of becoming pregnant during course of treatment. 9. Contraindication for TMS and MRI (e.g., personal history of epilepsy or seizure, metallic head implant, pacemaker), confirmed by TMS Adult Safety Scale (TASS) and MRI pre-screener. 10. Unwilling to maintain current psychotropic medication and/or psychotherapy regimen for the four weeks prior to and for the duration of the study. 11. Taking more than 1 mg/day of lorazepam or equivalent. 12. Any other condition that, in the opinion of the investigators which would adversely affect the participant's ability to complete the study. 13. Physically active: performing exercise and/or physical activity levels meeting the cut-off for "minimally active" on the IPAQ-SF.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant dysthymic disorder major depressive disorder Motor Activity Sedentary Behavior

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.

  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

  • Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre

    RECRUITING

    Ottawa, Ontario, k1z 7k4, Canada

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