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Can people train their own brains to ease depression?

NCT ID NCT05640089

NEW Symptom relief Sponsor: Maastricht University Medical Center Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Oct 13, 2026 · Last updated Oct 13, 2026

Summary

Researchers are testing whether fMRI neurofeedback can help adults with depression. Participants receive either standard care alone or standard care plus five sessions of neurofeedback, where they watch their own brain activity on a screen and learn to boost areas linked to positive emotions. The trial measures depression severity before, right after, and six months later to see if the training makes a difference.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
fMRI-based neurofeedback training
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-drug add-on that helps people with depression train their own brain activity to improve mood.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early trial. Neurofeedback may not outperform standard care alone, and the training requires lying still in an MRI scanner, which some people find difficult or uncomfortable.

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 120 people

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

Started

Jan 2023

Expected to finish

Jul 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 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: * Diagnosis of a depressive disorder (ICD-10: F32 or F33) * Has been on stable antidepressant medication (single or combination treatment) for at least 4 weeks * Current depression (QIDS \>= 17) * If required to meet recruitment targets the minimum entry score will be reduced QIDS \>= 13 (i.e. still corresponding to a moderate level of depression) Exclusion Criteria: * Exclusion criteria for MRI (e.g. cardiac pacemaker, certain metallic implants) * History of psychotic disorder bipolar disorder, or psychotic depression * Current use of illegal drugs (any in the last four weeks) * Current excessive alcohol consumption that interferes with daily functioning * History of neurological disease that could influence the fMRI signal and/or the anatomical alignment (e.g. territorial stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain tumour)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Behavioral Symptoms Depression depressive disorder major depressive disorder mood disorder psychiatric disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Depression, unipolar

How to take part

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

  1. The places running it

    3 sites. 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

  • Maastricht UMC+

    RECRUITING

    Maastricht, 6229HX, Netherlands

  • Maastricht University

    RECRUITING

    Maastricht, 6229ER, Netherlands

  • Mondriaan Zorggroep

    RECRUITING

    Maastricht, 6226NB, Netherlands

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