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Could a Parkinson's drug help depressed people feel pleasure again?

NCT ID NCT06075771

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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 tests whether L-DOPA, a drug used for Parkinson's, can improve anhedonia (loss of interest or pleasure) in people with depression who also have high inflammation. Seventy adults aged 25-55 will receive either L-DOPA or a placebo for 8 weeks. Researchers will measure changes in depression symptoms and brain activity using MRI scans.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
L-DOPA (carbidopa levodopa)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could point toward a new treatment for anhedonia (loss of pleasure) in people with depression and high inflammation.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-phase trial with only 70 people. It may not show a clear benefit, and L-DOPA can cause side effects like nausea or dizziness.

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 4

Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.

Participants

About 70 people

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

Started

Nov 2023

Expected to finish

Jan 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

25 to 55 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: * a. willing and able to give written informed consent * b. men or women, 25-55 years of age * c. a primary diagnosis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), current, as diagnosed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 * d. score of \>10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) or HAM-D score ≥18 * e. off all antidepressant or other psychotropic therapy (e.g. mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, and sedative hypnotics) for at least 4 weeks prior to baseline visit (8 weeks for fluoxetine) * f. c-reactive protein (CRP) ≥2 mg/L * g. PHQ-9 anhedonia score ≥2 Exclusion Criteria: * a. history or evidence (clinical or laboratory) of an autoimmune disorder * b. history or evidence (clinical or laboratory) of hepatitis B or C infection or human immunodeficiency virus infection * c. history of any type of cancer requiring treatment with more than minor surgery * d. unstable cardiovascular, endocrinologic, hematologic, hepatic, renal, or neurologic disease (as determined by physical examination, EKG and laboratory testing) * e. history of any (non-mood-related) psychotic disorder; active psychotic symptoms of any type; history or current bipolar disorder; history or current gambling disorder; substance abuse/dependence within 6 months of study entry (as determined by standardized clinician interview) * f. active suicidal plan as determined by a score \>3 on item #3 on the HAM-D * g. an active eating disorder (except for patients with binge eating disorder in whom binging is clearly associated with worsening of mood symptoms) * h. a history of a cognitive disorder or traumatic head injury involving loss of consciousness * i. pregnancy or lactation * j. use of gender affirming hormone therapy * k. chronic use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDS) (excluding 81mg of aspirin), glucocorticoid containing medications or statins * l. use of NSAIDS, glucocorticoids, or statins at any time during the study * m. urine toxicology screen is positive for drugs of abuse, n. any contraindication for MRI scanning * o. intolerance, sensitivity or contraindication to carbidopa-levodopa (including history of narrow-angle glaucoma, melanoma, gastric and/or duodenal ulcers, bleeding disorders, or frequent migraines)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Anhedonia Depression depressive disorder

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 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

  • Emory University Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States

More trials for these conditions

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