Could a simple drug boost ECT for depressed teens?
NCT ID NCT07247968
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether adding a low dose of esketamine (a fast-acting anesthetic) to standard electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can improve depression outcomes in adolescents aged 13-17 with severe depression. About 220 participants will be randomly assigned to receive either esketamine or a placebo alongside ECT. The main goal is to see if more teens respond to treatment in the esketamine group.
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
-
Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
-
About 220 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2026
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
-
13 to 17 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 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: * Inpatients diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder according to the International Classification of Diseases,11th Revision(ICD-11),and scheduled for Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy(MECT); * Aged 13 to 17 years,regardless of gender; * Educational attainment of primary school or higher; * Normal hearing and vision,including color perception; * Voluntary participation in the study with signed informed consent; * American Society of Anesthesiologists(ASA)physical status classification I-II. Exclusion Criteria: * Severe cardiovascular disease,significant arrhythmias,or other cardiac conditions; * Inability to complete the assessment scales; * History of substance abuse; * Received electroconvulsive therapy(ECT)within 6 months prior to the study; * Severe cerebrovascular disease,severe hypertension,intracranial hypertension,or presence of intracranial electrodes; * Severe allergy or contraindication to propofol or succinylcholine; * Comorbid with other psychiatric disorders.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Adolescent are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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.
-
The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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 First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University
NOT_YET_RECRUITINGChongqing, China
-
The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University
RECRUITINGChongqing, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Reading the Brain's signals to predict who benefits from deep brain stimulation
- Can a phone app that blocks distracting apps ease depression?
- Can teachers and a phone app ease teen depression?
- Can imagining exercise boost brain power after spinal cord injury?
- Can an antipsychotic restore feelings in people with depression?
- Can a group program teach teens to cope before therapy starts?