Can therapy reshape the depressed brain? new study aims to find out
NCT ID NCT07091643
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study will use brain scans to see how cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) affects the brains of 30 people aged 40-60 with major depression. Participants will receive 12 weeks of CBT, with follow-ups up to 9 months. The goal is to understand how CBT improves mood and thinking, and whether brain changes can be seen on MRI.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could reveal how CBT changes the brain in midlife depression, pointing toward better treatments that target both mood and cognitive decline.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (30 people) focused on brain imaging, not a treatment trial. Results may not apply to everyone, and the therapy may not work for all participants.
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
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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.
- Ages
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40 to 60 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.
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: 1. Age 40-60 years, inclusive. 2. Diagnosis of MDD as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)6 determined through a structured clinical interview. 3. Current major depressive episode of at least 3 months in length. 4. Depression of at least mild severity defined by a total score of ≥7 on the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)7. 5. Ability to understand and comply with the requirements of the study, as judged by the investigator(s). Exclusion Criteria: 1. Presence of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorder(s), schizophrenia, or other psychiatric disorders. 2. History of a manic, hypomanic, or mixed depressive episode. 3. Treatment with electroconvulsive therapy, intravenous and/or intranasal ketamine in the 6-weeks prior to study enrolment. 4. History of substance-use disorder in the past 12 months. 5. Presence of current alcohol-use disorder 6. A positive urine toxicology screen for non-prescribed substance use. 7. A positive pregnancy test at screening. 8. A history of major medical or neurological illness. 9. A history of traumatic brain injury, stroke, seizures, or previous brain surgery. 10. Contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning.
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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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Baycrest Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- A brain stimulation trial aims to rewire the circuit behind depression
- Can pairing ketamine with talk therapy beat depression alone?
- Genetic matchmaking for antidepressants: a global trial puts personalization to the test
- Could a common vitamin lift depression in young people?