Depression and heat: new study explores body temperature control
NCT ID NCT06805851
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study looks at how adults with depression respond to heat stress compared to those without depression. Researchers will measure skin blood flow, sweating, and core temperature during passive heating. The goal is to understand if depression or antidepressant medications like SSRIs and SNRIs change how the body cools itself.
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 study could help explain why some people with depression have trouble regulating body temperature, potentially guiding future treatments.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early observational study with only 64 participants. It does not test a treatment, so results may not lead to direct medical changes.
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
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About 64 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
Participants will be recruited from Centre County Pennsylvania including on the Penn State University campus.
- Ages
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18 to 40 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: * Non-depressed adults aged 18-40 years; * OR adults aged 18-40 years with clinically diagnosed major depressive disorder according to DSM-V criteria not currently receiving antidepressant treatment; * OR adults aged 18-40 years with clinically diagnosed major depressive disorder with at least 2 weeks of treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; * OR aged 18-40 years adults with clinically diagnosed major depressive disorder with at least 2 weeks of treatment with a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor; * All participants will be asymptomatic and no signs/symptoms of disease according to the American College of Sports Medicine 10th edition Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (chest pain or pressure, dizziness, joint pain, and signs of cardiovascular disease); * Systolic blood pressure 140 mmHg and diastolic pressure 90 mmHg at screening; * Non-diabetic * Not taking any other medications that might affect the physiological variables of interest (beta blockers, tricyclic antidepressants, antipyretics, diuretics, etc.);; * Between the 20th and 80th percentiles for sex- and age-appropriate VO2max according to the American College of Sports Medicine 10th edition Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription; * English proficiency; * Capable of providing informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * BMI \> 35 * Are pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the next 12 months; * Concurrently participate in another study involving physical activity or weight loss; * Plan to have surgery or relocate outside the area within the next year; * Medications that could alter cardiovascular or thermoregulatory responses to exercise (beta blockers, antipyretics, tricyclic antidepressants, diuretics, etc.); * Allergy to latex or adhesive; * Tobacco use; * Illegal/recreational drug use; * Exertional chest pain or musculoskeletal pain; * Contraindications to a maximal exercise test or an indication for early termination of the exercise test according to the American College of Sports Medicine 10th edition Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription; * Abnormal resting or exercise electrocardiogram (ECG); * Any bleeding disorders, gastric ulcers, allergies to NSAIDS, asthma, kidney/liver disorders, and taking any other anticoagulants; * History of Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, or similar gastrointestinal disease; * Co-morbid psychiatric disorders (psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc.); * Active suicidal ideation (moderate or high suicidality); * Use of psychoactive or psychopharmacological drugs other than SSRI and SNRIs within one year of participating.
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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.
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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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Noll Laboratory
RECRUITINGUniversity Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States
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