Multimodal Differences in Effort-based Decision-Making in Depression
Starting soon · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Depression, Anhedonia
In brief
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious condition that causes long-term symptoms such as feeling sad, losing interest in activities, and having thoughts of self-harm. Difficulty in making an effort is a key factor in functional impairment. Current methods to evaluate this difficulty use clinical assessments and computer-based tasks, but there is a gap between the measurements and real-life behavior. To address this, the study team proposes creating an instrumented behavioral test, HORMES, to objectively assess reduced motivation during everyday activities and measure physiological responses. The study will examine differences in brain activity, autonomic system function, and metabolic energy expenditure in patients with major depression during a decision-making task that involves physical effort.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT06648460
- Run by
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- People needed
- 90
- Starts
- 2026-08-01
- Expected to finish
- 2030-09-30
- Last updated by the study team
- 2026-06-03
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Matched control group
- 18-65 years old
- Able-bodied
- Fluent in English
- Able to give written and verbal informed consent to the proposed experiment
- Able to comprehend the study procedure, potential risks, and benefits
- Group with depression
- Diagnosed with major depression
- Quick Inventory of Depression Symptomology (QIDS) score > 5
- 18-65 years old
- Able-bodied
- Fluent in English
- Able to give written and verbal informed consent to the proposed experiment
- Able to comprehend the study procedure, potential risks, and benefits
You may not qualify if…
- Matched control group
- Current diagnosed psychiatric disorder (e.g., anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder)
- Current pregnancy
- BMI > 35
- Currently on antipsychotics
- Group with depression
- Diagnosed with psychotic symptoms
- Diagnosed with other neurological or psychiatric disorders
- Current pregnancy
- BMI > 35
- Currently on antipsychotics
Where it is running
- Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute — Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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