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Zapping the brain to shift Decision-Making in depression and aging

NCT ID NCT07080489

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University of Bern 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Aug 31, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers at the University of Bern are testing whether a gentle brain stimulation technique called HD-tDCS can influence how people make decisions involving emotional words. The study includes healthy younger and older adults, as well as adults with mild to moderate depression. Participants receive either real or sham stimulation while performing a decision-making task inside a powerful 7 Tesla MRI scanner, which measures brain activity and chemical levels. The goal is to understand how the prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in decision-making, responds to stimulation and whether it can help shift attention toward positive content in depression.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation device
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive brain stimulation approach to help people with depression shift attention toward positive information.
What could go wrong
This is an early exploratory study, so the effects may be small or not translate into real-world benefits. Brain stimulation can cause mild discomfort, and the results may not apply to everyone.

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 444 people

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

Started

Mar 2025

Expected to finish

Feb 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.

Ages

20 to 75 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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 (Healthy): * Written Informed Consent * Age between 20-40 or 60-75 years * Fluent in German * Normal or corrected-to-normal vision * No color blindness * Right-handed * Non-smoker Exclusion Criteria (Healthy): * History of neurological disorders * History of psychiatric disorders * Use of psychotropic medication * Presence of magnetizable implants * Alcohol or drug dependence Inclusion Criteria (Patient): * Written Informed Consent * Diagnosed with mild to moderate depression * Age between 20-40 or 60-75 years * Fluent in German * Normal or corrected-to-normal vision * No color blindness Exclusion Criteria (Patient): * Intake of benzodiazepines or antipsychotic medication * psychiatric disorders other than depression (e.g., psychosis, mania, personality disorders) or depression with organic cause * Presence of magnetizable implants * Alcohol or drug dependence

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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.

Aging Depressive disorder, major depressive disorder Healthy volunteer

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

  • University of Bern, Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

    RECRUITING

    Bern, 3000, Switzerland

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