NCT07080489Recruiting
Exploring the Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Decision-Making
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 31 Aug 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
The goal of this study is to examine whether high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) can influence decision-making for emotionally valenced content in younger and older adults, with or without major depression. The main questions are: In healthy adults, does brain stimulation modulate how people respond to emotionally valenced content during a decision-making task? What happens in the brain during modulation? Do these effects differ between younger and older adults? In adults with depression, does brain stimulation help shift attention towards positive content during the task? What happens in the brain? Are these effects moderated by age (younger vs. older adults)? The investigators will compare participants who receive real stimulation to those who receive sham (placebo) stimulation. Participants will: Receive high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) Perform a decision-making task involving emotionally valenced words Complete the task while undergoing a brain scan using ultra-high field 7 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure brain activity
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Interventional
- Enrollment
- 444 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 10 Jul 2025
- Start date
- 4 Mar 2025
- Primary completion date
- 31 Dec 2027
- Lead sponsor
- University of Bern
- Diseases
- Depression
- NCT number
- NCT07080489
What you commit to
- Study type: Interventional
- Planned participants: 444
- From 4 Mar 2025 to the primary completion date, 31 Dec 2027
- 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
- Use of psychotropic medication
- Presence of magnetizable implants
- Alcohol or drug dependence
- Intake of benzodiazepines or antipsychotic medication
- Presence of magnetizable implants
- Alcohol or drug dependence
Other illness
- History of neurological disorders
- History of psychiatric disorders
- psychiatric disorders other than depression (e.g., psychosis, mania, personality disorders) or depression with organic cause
Who the study is looking for
- Written Informed Consent
- Age between 20-40 or 60-75 years
- Fluent in German
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
- No color blindness
- Right-handed
- Non-smoker
- Written Informed Consent
- Diagnosed with mild to moderate depression
- Age between 20-40 or 60-75 years
- Fluent in German
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
- No color blindness
Age in the registry: 20 years to 75 years · Sex: All · Accepts 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Bern, Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Bern | Switzerland | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.