NCT05802446Recruiting
Neurofeedback for Bipolar Disorder
Real-time fMRI Neurofeedback as Treatment for Inter-critical Mood Symptoms in Bipolar Disorder : a Randomized Controlled Multicentric Trial
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 15 Jul 2025 · Not updated for over 12 months - ask the site whether it is still open
Brief summary (registry, in English)
Bipolar Disorder (BD) is a severe mood disorder affecting between 1% and 3% of the general population. It is characterized by the succession of depressive and manic episodes, with periods of stabilization during which patients may present "residual" depressive or anxious symptoms, which are characterized by sadness and emotional hyper-reactivity. Although subthreshold, these residual symptoms are very disabling for their daily lives and are associated with the risk of recurrence and poor global functioning. The effect of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments is demonstrated in the management of acute episodes but remains insufficient on residual symptoms. Therefore, there are so far few therapeutic options to target the inter-episode residual symptoms in BD. One novel approach is the real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback (NFB), which has already been shown to be an efficient method for self-regulating brain function, behavior and treating depression. Hypothesis/Objective : This study aims at assessing the efficacy of 3-weeks neurofeedback training with real-time fMRI on the treatment of residual mood symptoms in patients with BD. The investigators will specifically target depressive symptoms by training the patients to regulate the emotional network hemodynamic response to emotional stimuli. Method : The investigators will include 64 stabilized patients with BD. The investigators will recruit them in three French expert centers for BD and will randomly assign them to the experimental group, receiving feedback from the emotional brain network hemodynamic activity, or to the control group, receiving the signal from control brain areas not involved in emotion processing. Both groups will be trained to regulate their brain activity while they are presented with negatively valenced emotional pictures, based on the neurofeedback shown immediately after the trial. They will continue their usual treatment (as prescribed) throughout the duration of the study. Clinical scales and cognitive tests will enable us to evaluate the symptomatic, emotional, and cognitive changes after NFB training. The investigators will also measure resting-state functional connectivity and brain morphology before and after NFB to assess brain plasticity and to explore the neural mechanisms associated with successful regulation.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 64 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 28 Feb 2023
- Start date
- 22 May 2024
- Primary completion date
- 30 Sept 2026
- Lead sponsor
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
- Diseases
- Bipolar disorder
- NCT number
- NCT05802446
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 64
- From 22 May 2024 to the primary completion date, 30 Sept 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.
Prior treatment
- Ongoing non-pharmacological treatment: structured psychotherapeutic interventions (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT, Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy - IPSRT) as well as brain stimulation techniques (Electroconvulsive Therapy - ECT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - TMS, Deep Brain Stimulation - DBS);
Other illness
- Severe physical disorders that may be life-threatening;
- Major psychiatric (Axis 1) comorbidities except for anxiety disorders;
- Exclusion criteria applicable to MRI Panic disorder, claustrophobia, epilepsy Pace maker or neuronal stimulator, intraocular or intracerebral metallic foreign body, cochlear implant, cardiac valve or metallic surgical arterial material, non removable removable magnetizable metallic material
- Somatic disorder that may affect cognitive abilities and brain structures (e.g., HIV infection, MS, lupus, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, dementia...);
Other
- Any current substance abuse except for tobacco or cannabis. Substance abuse will be defined by the DSM V criteria;
- Subject included in clinical and / or therapeutic experimentation in progress.
- Patients under legal protection
- Prisoners
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
Who the study is looking for
- Patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder I or II (DSM-5 criteria);
- Aged between ≥ 18 and ≤ 65;
- Absence of major mood episode for at least 3 months before inclusion (MADRS scores \< 12; YMRS score \< 10);
- Presence of residual depressive symptoms, as assessed by the MADRS (score \> 5);
- Stabilized dose of mood stabilizer medication for at least 3 months before inclusion.
- Written consent
- Affiliation to a social security system
- Effective contraception for women of childbearing age
Age in the registry: 18 years to 65 years · Sex: All · Does not accept healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Chenevier Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Créteil | France | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.