Brain Changes During a Talk Therapy for Suicidal Thoughts in Middle and Later Life
Tests Engage & Connect therapy in adults aged 50 to 80 with depression and suicidal thoughts.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Brain Changes During Social Reward Psychotherapy for Mid- and Late-Life Suicidality
Key facts
- Where
- New York, United StatesSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 50 and 80 years old?
Source: NCT05925322, who can take part
Where in United States
- Weill Cornell MedicineNew York, United StatesTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Weill Medical College of Cornell University
- Trial code
- NCT05925322
- Record updated
- 27 March 2026
- Original description
The investigators hypothesized that during the 9-week course of Engage \& Connect treatment there will be an increase in brain functions of the Positive Valence System which in turn will lead to reduction in suicidality.Read full original descriptionShow less
Brain Changes During Social Reward Psychotherapy for Mid- and Late-Life Suicidality: A Precision Imaging Trial
The investigators hypothesized that during the 9-week course of Engage \& Connect treatment there will be an increase in brain functions of the Positive Valence System which in turn will lead to reduction in suicidality.
Inclusion: Ages aged 50-80 [stratified so that 50% are older than 65]; Endorsement of Suicidal Ideation [Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-5 (SCID-5) Suicide Item (Item 9) with a score of 2; Major Depressive Disorder as determined by the SCID-5; Depression Rating Scale [Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)] score of 16 or greater; Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) equal or greater than a score of 23; Off antidepressants or on a stable dose of an antidepressant for 8 weeks and do not intend to change the dose in the next 10 weeks, without individual psychotherapy services during the study period; Capacity to provide consent for research assessment and treatment.
Exclusion: Use of psychotropic drugs or cholinesterase inhibitors other than use of 0.5 mg or less of lorazepam daily up to seven times per week; History or presence of psychiatric diagnoses other than major depressive disorder without psychotic features, generalized anxiety disorder, or specific phobia; Neurological disorders (dementias, amnestic and multidomain Mild Cognitive Impairment, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, etc.); Acute or severe medical illness in the past 3 months (metastatic cancer, multiple sclerosis, decompensated cardiac, liver or kidney failure, major surgery, stroke or myocardial infarction, cardiac, renal, or respiratory failure; severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.) that may be the primary cause depressive symptoms, influence brain systems of interest, or impact ability to participate in the study; Contraindications to MRI scanning including cardiac pacemaker, heart valve replacement, vascular stent, insulin pump, cochlear implant, any other metallic biomedical implant contraindicating to MRI, and claustrophobia; Intent or plan to attempt suicide in the near future.