Neurofeedback as a Treatment Tool for Depression (NFD)

Cardiff University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Unipolar Depression

Treatments: Other: fMRI-based neurofeedback

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01544205

G 1100629 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

11/WA/0106 (Other Identifier)

HS/10/25 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

SPON927-11

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of the study is to investigate whether neurofeedback delivered via functional magnetic resonance imaging signals can be used to train depressed patients to self-regulate emotion networks and whether this improves clinical symptoms.

Enrollment: 43 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis
• stable antidepressant dose medication

Exclusion criteria

• Other physical or psychiatric disorders
• Current substance abuse
• Current psychotherapy or other specific intervention
• Exclusion criteria applicable to MRI

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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43 participants in 2 patient groups

Emotion network up-regulation

Experimental group

Description:

Participants use fMRI-based neurofeedback to train the upregulation of brain areas that respond to positive affective pictures (as identified during a functional localiser scan).

Treatment:

Other: fMRI-based neurofeedback

Place processing network up-regulation

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants use fMRI-based neurofeedback to train the upregulation of brain areas that respond to place and house pictures (as identified during a functional localiser scan).

Treatment:

Other: fMRI-based neurofeedback