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Brain scans reveal how talk therapy may ease teen depression

NCT ID NCT05548244

Symptom relief Sponsor: Emory University 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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study looks at how Behavioral Activation (BA) therapy affects the brains of depressed teenagers. 136 teens aged 15-17 with depression will receive up to 16 therapy sessions focused on increasing rewarding activities. Researchers will use brain scans (fMRI) to see if BA therapy changes brain activity related to avoidance and motivation. A healthy control group will also be scanned for comparison.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Behavioral Activation Therapy
What this could lead to
If successful, this could show that Behavioral Activation therapy effectively reduces depression in teens by targeting specific brain pathways.
What could go wrong
This is an early-stage study with only 136 participants. It focuses on brain changes, not a new drug, so results may not lead to a widely available treatment. The therapy requires commitment to 16 sessions.

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 136 people

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

Started

Jan 2023

Expected to finish

May 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

15 to 17 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: * Male and female adolescents ages 15-17; * current MDD diagnosis as determined by K-SADS-PL, * CDRS-R raw score \> 45 (T-score \> 65) at baseline; * estimated full scale IQ \> 80 as determined by the WASI-II; * able to receive outpatient care; * willing to not partake in other psychosocial treatments; * not taking psychotropic medications in the two weeks (four weeks for fluoxetine) prior to consent, with the exception of psychostimulant medication prescribed for the treatment of ADHD. * Additionally, depressed patients must have access to required technology (e.g. smart phone, tablet, or desktop computer) to complete the EMA portion of the study. * Healthy controls cannot not meet criteria for MDD and their CDRS-R raw score must be below 28; T-score \< 52). Exclusion Criteria: * Current or past diagnosis of bipolar, schizophrenia, schizophreniform, schizoaffective disorders, or psychosis NOS; * current diagnosis of developmental disorder, severe conduct disorder, life-threatening anorexia, OCD, or autism-spectrum disorders; * taking psychotropic medications prior to entry; * estimated IQ \< 80; alcohol/drug dependence or abuse within the last 3 months; * potential/confirmed neurological disorder or epilepsy; * claustrophobia; * presence of a medical condition that precludes fMRI; * endorsement of imminent and serious suicidality; * medical conditions that take precedence over the presence of MDD; * pregnancy; * substance use (excluding nicotine) within two weeks of the fMRI scan; * left-handedness; * nicotine use within 3 hours of the fMRI scan; * history of traumatic brain injury or of being unconscious for more than 30 minutes; * a stimulant regime for ADHD which has changed within 30 days of the fMRI scan. * Non-compliance (i.e. \<70% completion) or inability (i.e. lack of smartphone device) to complete the 3 assessment periods of EMA.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Depression depressive disorder major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Depression

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

  • Child and Adolescent Mood Program (CAMP)

    RECRUITING

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30329, United States

  • Emory University

    RECRUITING

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States

  • Facility for Education and Research in Neuroscience (FERN)

    RECRUITING

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States

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