Scientists probe Brain's wiring to boost depression treatment
NCT ID NCT07071259
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 08, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study aims to better understand how the brain's prefrontal cortex is organized, specifically the part linked to mood and thinking. Researchers will use advanced MRI and TMS-EEG in 34 healthy adults to map connections between brain regions. The goal is to improve targeting of a therapy called rTMS, which is used for severe depression but currently works for only 20-40% of patients.
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) and high-field MRI
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to more precise targeting of brain areas for rTMS therapy, potentially improving depression treatment outcomes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study in healthy volunteers, not patients. The findings may not translate directly to clinical practice, and the approach is still experimental.
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
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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
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About 34 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2026
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a government body.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 35 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: * People aged 18 to 35 * People affiliated with a social security scheme or beneficiary of such a scheme * People who have signed the informed consent * Right-handed people * People with a body mass index between 18 and 26 * People able to abstain from alcohol for 24 hours prior to the experiment * People able to remain perfectly still for 15 minutes straight, and able to have reduced mobility for 3 hours * People able to of not using narcotics (marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, MDMA, ketamine, etc.) during the 15 days preceeding the experiment. * Conducting a pregnancy test before inclusion for women of childbearing age and when the research is conducted over a long period, at a frequency adapted to the gaze of the research acts * Effective contraception for women of childbearing potential Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant, parturient, or breastfeeding * Protected adults * Minors * People staying in a healthcare or social institution * People in an emergency situation * People deprived of their liberty * People with the usual contraindications to MRI * Ferromagnetic surgical clips, ocular implants, metallic foreign bodies intraocularly or in the nervous system, implants or metallic objects susceptible to concentrate the radio frequency field, cochlear implants, brain stimulator or cardiac pacemaker, presence of a craniotomy scar, agitation * Claustrophobia * Large, black tattoo close to the orofacial area * People not wishing to be informed of abnormalities discovered at the MRI * People with a history of epilepsy or suffering from epilepsy * Individuals whose parents, children, siblings, or parents have a history of epilepsy * People with known neurological and/or psychiatric disorders with past and/or current medical treatment, or drug addiction * Staff with a hierarchical link to the investigators
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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.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Hôpital la Timone
RECRUITINGMarseille, 13005, France
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