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NCT04788524Recruiting

Neural Correlates of Stress and Perceived Control in Adolescent Depression

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 19 May 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

Lack of perceived control, particularly during stress, has been critically implicated in major depressive disorder (MDD) and anhedonic symptoms, especially among female adolescents; yet the neural underpinnings of perceived control disruptions in MDD remain poorly understood. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging with a novel "value of control task" in conjunction with a prospective design, this study will provide a comprehensive understanding of stress and perceived control related mechanisms in female adolescents with MDD and will examine stress-induced disruptions in perceived control as a predictor of "real world" expressions of maladaptive coping and anhedonia.

Status (registry)
Recruiting
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
80 (estimated)
First submitted
3 Mar 2021
Start date
23 Apr 2021
Primary completion date
31 Oct 2026
Lead sponsor
Mclean Hospital
Diseases
Depression
NCT number
NCT04788524

What you commit to

  • Study type: Interventional
  • Planned participants: 80
  • From 23 Apr 2021 to the primary completion date, 31 Oct 2026
  • 1 site in 1 country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Lab values

  • Exclusion Criteria: All Participants
    • History of head trauma with loss of consciousness;
    • History of seizure disorder;
    • Serious or unstable medical illness including cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, respiratory, endocrine, neurologic or hematologic disease;
    • History of cocaine or stimulant use (e.g., amphetamine, cocaine, methamphetamine);
    • History of use of dopaminergic drugs (including methylphenidate);
    • Use of hormonal replacement therapy, anabolic steroids, or hormonal contraception;
    • Clinical or laboratory evidence of hypothyroidism;
    • Systemic medical or neurological illness that could impact fMRI measures of cerebral blood flow;
    • Failure to meet standard exclusion criteria for fMRI scanning (e.g., claustrophobia, cardiac pacemakers, neural pacemakers, surgically implanted metal devices, cochlear implants, metal braces, or other metal objects in the body);
    • Pregnancy
    • Testing positive on a drug test on the day of the scan which testis for stimulants, marijuana, barbiturates, benzodiazepine, buprenorphine, 3,4-Methyl enedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA), methadone, opiates, oxycodone, phencyclidine;
    • History of electroconvulsive therapy
    • Participants with suicidal ideation where study participation is deemed unsafe by the study clinician;
    • Additional Exclusion Criteria: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) Sample
    • 1\. Major depressive disorder diagnosis secondary to another disorder (selected comorbid anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, and social anxiety disorders are allowed if they are secondary to MDD)

Who the study is looking for

  • Inclusion Criteria: All Participants
    • Females of all ethnic origins See Section: Inclusion of Women and Minorities);
    • Ages 14-18 (See Section: Inclusion of Children);
    • Written informed assent/consent from adolescent and parent/guardian (if under age 18);
    • English as a first language or English fluency;
    • Right handed111;
    • Personal cell-phone (for Ecological Momentary Assessment \[EMA\]) 7 All participants will be in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle when completing the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study session
  • Meet Diagnostic Statistical Manual-5th edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (as diagnosed with the KSADS)
  • Absence of any psychotropic medications for at least 2 weeks (6 weeks for fluoxetine; 6 months for neuroleptics; 2 weeks for benzodiazepines; 2 weeks for any other antidepressants);
  • No history or current diagnosis of any DSM-5 psychiatric or substance/alcohol-related disorder (as diagnosed with the KSADS)
  • No first-degree relatives with a history of depression, bipolar disorder, or psychosis

Age in the registry: 14 years to 18 years · Sex: Female · Accepts healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

Sites (1)

Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.

SiteCityCountrySite status
McLean Hospital
Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status
BelmontUnited StatesRecruiting

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.