Exploring the Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Decision-Making
Recruiting · NCT07080489 · Interventional (participants receive a specific treatment) · Lead sponsor: University of Bern
View the official record on ClinicalTrials.gov →Interventions studied
What this trial is about
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
Who can take part
Inclusion criteria
- Healthy):
- 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
Exclusion criteria
- Healthy):
- History of neurological disorders
- History of psychiatric disorders
- Use of psychotropic medication
- Presence of magnetizable implants
- Alcohol or drug dependence
- Inclusion Criteria (Patient):
- 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
- Exclusion Criteria (Patient):
- Intake of benzodiazepines or antipsychotic medication
- psychiatric disorders other than depression (e.g., psychosis, mania, personality disorders) or depression with organic cause
- Presence of magnetizable implants
- Alcohol or drug dependence
Where it is running
1 location listed.
- University of Bern, Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy - Bern, Switzerland