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Zapping two brain regions may restore pleasure in depression

NCT ID NCT07813169

Symptom relief Sponsor: Guo Wenbin Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing whether a form of magnetic brain stimulation called intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) can improve anhedonia, the inability to feel pleasure, in people with major depression. The study compares stimulating two brain areas at once (the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex) against stimulating only one area, and against a sham treatment that feels real but delivers no active stimulation. Sixty adults with depression and prominent anhedonia receive six daily sessions over five days, then return for check-ups and brain scans at one, four, and eight weeks. The goal is to see whether the dual-target approach eases symptoms and corrects abnormal brain connectivity in the reward circuit.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS), a form of magnetic brain stimulation
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-drug way to ease anhedonia, the loss of pleasure that often lingers in depression. It could also show that targeting two brain regions works better than one.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early study of 60 people, so results may not hold up in larger groups. Brain stimulation can cause scalp discomfort or headaches, and the sham comparison means some participants receive no active treatment.

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 60 people

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

Started

May 2026

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 to 45 years

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: 1. Aged 18-45 years, and right-handed; 2. Diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) by at least two qualified psychiatrists, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), with a Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score ≥ 20 or a 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) score ≥ 17; 3. Evaluated by a psychiatrist as having prominent anhedonia, and meeting the cutoff criteria on two self-report anhedonia scales, including a Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, Chinese version (SHAPS-C) score ≥ 20, or a Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale, Chinese version (TEPS-C) score ≤ 76; 4. Medication type and dosage remained unchanged for at least 4 weeks prior to treatment initiation and throughout the study period; 5. MADRS item 10 score ≤ 4. Exclusion Criteria: 1. A history of epilepsy, seizures, stroke, or other serious organic brain diseases; 2. Presence of severe infectious diseases, malignant tumors, or other major unstable medical conditions; 3. Intellectual disability or developmental delay, presence of psychotic symptoms, or meeting the diagnostic criteria for other psychiatric disorders; 4. A history of substance abuse or psychoactive substance use; 5. Presence of intracranial implants (e.g., aneurysm clips, shunts, stimulators, cochlear implants, or electrodes), or any other metallic objects in or near the head that cannot be safely removed (excluding dental fillings); 6. Contraindications to MRI or structural intracranial abnormalities detected on MRI; 7. Pregnant or breastfeeding women; 8. Receipt of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) within the past 6 months, or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) within the past 3 months; 9. Current daily use of lorazepam \> 2 mg (or an equivalent dose), or use of antiepileptic drugs at any dose; 10. Presence of strong suicidal ideation, or a MADRS item 10 score \> 4.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Anhedonia depressive disorder major depressive disorder melancholia

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Anhedonia Major depression Melancholic depression Theta burst stimulation

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

  • The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University

    RECRUITING

    Changsha, Hunan, 410000, China

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