Shock vs magnet: which therapy is safer for depression?
NCT ID NCT05054699
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares two brain stimulation treatments—electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and magnetic seizure therapy (MST)—for people with severe depression that hasn't improved with standard medications. About 100 adults with major depression or bipolar depression will receive one of the two treatments. The goal is to see which works better for mood and causes fewer memory problems.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2/3
Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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May 2021
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2026
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.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Major Depressive Disorder or Bipolar Depression in accordance to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) criteria * Score equal to or great than 17 points on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale * Treatment-resistant depression, defined as insufficient relief of symptoms after two different first line treatments using therapeutic doses and for four to six weeks * Adequate health and clinical conditions, as assessed by an anaesthesiologist and a psychiatrist Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnancy * Other psychiatric conditions such as Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Substance Abuse, Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, or Intellectual Deficiency * Depressive symptoms due to a clinical condition * Any clinical or neurological conditions without proper management * ECT or any other neuromodulation treatment on the last six months * Inability to consent
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Institute of Psychiatry, HC-FMUSP
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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