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Hunger hormone may spark motivation in depression

NCT ID NCT05318924

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: University Hospital Tuebingen Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 tested whether giving the hunger hormone ghrelin can increase dopamine release and motivation to work for rewards. Researchers used brain scans and effort tasks in 26 people (healthy volunteers and those with depression). The goal is to understand if boosting ghrelin could help treat low motivation in depression.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
Ghrelin (a hunger hormone given as an infusion)
What this could lead to
If ghrelin boosts motivation via dopamine, it could point toward new treatments for depression-related lack of drive.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase study in healthy people and a few with depression. Results may not apply to real-world treatment, and ghrelin's effects on mood or appetite could be unwanted.

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

Phase 1/2

Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.

Participants

26 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Feb 2022

Finished

Aug 2024

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

20 to 50 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: * Healthy control participants: never fulfilled the criteria of any mood or anxiety disorder (except specific phobia) * Patients with major depressive disorder: diagnosis according to DSM-5 within 12 months before enrollment and presence of at least mild symptoms at enrollment (BDI II \>= 14) Exclusion Criteria: * lifetime history of a brain injury, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and a severe substance use disorder according to DSM-5 * obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma- and stressor-related disorder, somatic symptom disorder, and eating disorder within a 12-month interval before the test day. * Neuroimaging Study involving ghrelin infusion: contraindication for PET/MR (e.g., metal implants or prostheses, pregnancy, claustrophobia)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

major depressive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Major depressive disorder

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen

    Tübingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, 72076, Germany

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