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Targeting the brain's reward system: a new test for depression treatment

NCT ID NCT05194098

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center 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
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 08, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether a single session of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can alter brain activity related to reward processing in people with major depressive disorder. Researchers will compare active TMS to a sham (inactive) version, measuring brain signals during a reward task. The goal is to understand how depression affects motivation and pleasure, and to find biological markers that could guide future neurostimulation treatments. Adults aged 18 to 65 with depression who are on a stable medication regimen may participate.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) using intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) to the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a brain-based marker to predict who benefits from TMS for depression, and improve treatments for motivation and pleasure deficits.
What could go wrong
This is an early, small study focused on brain signals, not symptoms. The effect may not translate into clinical improvement, and TMS can cause scalp discomfort or headache.

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

98 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Oct 2021

Finished

Jun 2025

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.

Who can take part

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

Ages

18 to 65 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.

• Our studies require some in-person visits to our research lab, located at 42nd Ave and Clement St in San Francisco. Inclusion Criteria: * All participants * 18-65 years old * Normal (or corrected to normal) vision * Participants with MDD * Meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for MDD * Screened for TMS and MRI safety * On a stable psychiatric medication regime for \> 1 month Exclusion Criteria (all participants): * Premorbid IQ estimate \< 70 * Past or present neurological problems (including seizures and head trauma resulting in neurological or cognitive sequelae) * Loss of consciousness \> 30 minutes or any loss of consciousness with neurological sequelae * Major medical conditions (e.g., seizure disorders, treatment with anticonvulsant medication, endocrine disorders, significant cardiac pathology), or other physical conditions if they preclude participation in EEG, TMS, or MRI protocols (e.g. peripheral nerve damage, limb paralysis etc.) * Substance dependence, within the past year, current (past 3 months) substance misuse, or failed urine toxicology on the day of neuroimaging sessions * Known claustrophobia * Pregnancy (a pregnancy urine test will be conducted to rule-out pregnancy) Exclusion criteria (Participants with MDD only) * Past or present DSM-5 (SCID-5) 'Schizophrenia Spectrum or Other Psychotic Disorder' diagnosis * Past or present DSM-5 (SCID-5) Bipolar and Related Disorders Diagnosis * Past or present DSM-5 (SCID-5) MDD with psychotic features (mood congruent or mood incongruent) * Past or present DSM-5 (SCID-5) Gambling Disorder Exclusion Criteria (HCs only) • DSM-5 (SCID-5) criteria for any psychiatric disorder

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Major depressive disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • San Francisco VA Medical Center

    San Francisco, California, 94121, United States

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