Optimizing Brain Excitability in Depression

Recruiting now · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Major Depressive Disorder

In brief

The goal of this study is to improve depression treatment by establishing reliable prefrontal excitability markers through Targeting with Automated Real-time Guidance for Enhancing TEPs (TARGET).

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07242105

Run by

Stanford University

People needed

145

Starts

2025-10-23

Expected to finish

2029-11-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-02-10

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 65. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Men and women, ages 18 to 65
• Diagnosis of major depressive disorder, assessed through a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5)
• In a current depressive episode, assessed through a Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (SCID-5)
• Moderate-to-severe depression as indicated by a score between 11-20 on the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS)
• Must comprehend English well to ensure adequate comprehension of the EEG and TMS instructions, and of clinical scales
• No current or history of neurological disorders
• No seizure disorder or risk of seizures
• Neurosurgical patients: Men and women ages 18-65 with medication-refractory epilepsy who are admitted for phase II intracranial monitoring to detect a seizure focus will be considered appropriate for this study. Participants must have the intellectual capacity to understand the consent process and agree to the study.

You may not qualify if…

• Those with a contraindication for MRIs (e.g. implanted metal)
• History of head trauma with loss of consciousness
• History of seizures or on medications that reduce seizure threshold (e.g., olanzapine, chlorpromazine, lithium)
• Neurological or uncontrolled medical disease
• Any unstable medical condition
• Active substance abuse
• Diagnosis of psychotic or bipolar disorder
• A prior history of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) failure
• History of suicide attempt in the past year
• Currently pregnant or breastfeeding
• Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment in the past six months

Where it is running

• University of Iowa — Iowa City, California, United States (enrolling)
• Stanford University — Stanford, California, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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