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Brain scans reveal new clues to Depression's inner workings

NCT ID NCT05630963

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 investigates how a brain chemical system called nociceptin/orphanin FQ relates to major depression. Researchers will use PET and MRI scans, along with behavioral tasks, to examine brain activity and decision-making in people with current or past depression. The goal is to better understand depression and identify potential new treatment targets.

What this could mean

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

What this could lead to
If successful, this research could help identify new targets for treating depression beyond current medications.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It is early-stage and may not lead to direct clinical benefits.

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.

Participants

About 228 people

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

Started

Dec 2021

Expected to finish

Feb 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.

Who is studied

The subjects for this research will be 228 participants recruited from the community by the Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research (Director: Dr. Diego Pizzagalli, Ph.D.). Demographically-matched participants will include: (1) 38 participants with current MDD; (2) 38 participants with past MDD; and (3) 38 healthy controls.

Ages

18 to 45 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 for all participants: * All genders, races, and ethnic origins, aged between 18 and 45 * Capable of providing written informed consent, and fluent in English * Right-handed * Absence of any psychotropic medications for at least 2 weeks * Has a smartphone (iPhone or Android) (needed for Ecological Momentary Assessment) Inclusion Criteria for "Remitted MDD" group: * Meets inclusion criteria for all subjects, plus: * History of MDD as defined by DSM-5 * Absence of anxiety disorder for the past two months Inclusion Criteria for "Current MDD" group: * Meets inclusion criteria for all subjects, plus: * Presence of MDD as defined by DSM-5 * Absence of anxiety disorder for the past two months Exclusion Criteria for all participants: * Subjects with suicidal ideation where outpatient treatment is determined unsafe by the study clinician. These patients will be immediately referred to appropriate clinical treatment * Pregnant women or women of childbearing potential who are not using a medically accepted means of contraception (defined as oral contraceptive pill or implant, condom, diaphragm, spermicide, IUD, s/p tubal ligation, or partner with vasectomy) * Serious or unstable medical illness, including cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, respiratory, endocrine, neurologic or hematologic disease * History of seizure disorder * History of psychiatric illnesses, other than depression or anxiety disorders among the Current MDD and Remitted MDD groups * History of substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder (as these terms are defined by DSM-5); except depressed subjects may have a history of 'Mild' substance/alcohol use disorder only if it ended as least 12 months ago * History of cocaine or stimulant use or dopaminergic drugs * History or current diagnosis of dementia, or a score of \< 26 on the Mini Mental State Examination at the screening visit; * Patients with mood congruent or mood incongruent psychotic features * Current use of other psychotropic drugs * Clinical or laboratory evidence of hypothyroidism * Patients with a lifetime history of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) * Failure to meet standard MRI safety requirements * Abnormal ECG and lab results * History of seizure disorder * Contraindications for arterial line (e.g., abnormal result on Allen test, Raynaud's syndrome, history of anemia or bleeding disorder, history of fainting from blood draws).

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

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.

  1. The study's own enquiry address

    This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .

  2. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  3. 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 ↗

  4. 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

Study contacts

  • Contact

    Email: •••••@•••••

Locations

  • McLean Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Belmont, Massachusetts, 02478, United States

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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.