Multimodal Differences in Effort-based Decision-Making in Depression (NCT06648460)
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious condition that causes long-term symptoms such as feeling sad, losing interest in activities, and having thoughts of self-harm. Difficulty in making an effort is a key factor in functional impairment. Current methods to evaluate this difficulty use clinical assessments and computer-based tasks, but there is a gap between the measurements and real-life behavior. To address this, the study team proposes creating an instrumented behavioral test, HORMES, to objectively assess reduced motivation during everyday activities and measure physiological responses. The study will examine differences in brain activity, autonomic system function, and metabolic energy expenditure in patients with major depression during a decision-making task that involves physical effort.
Who can join: To join this study, participants generally need to meet the listed inclusion criteria (14 items) and avoid the listed exclusions (12 items).
Location: Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute — Atlanta, Georgia
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistCheck every box below. If you can check all of them, you may meet the study's basic screening requirements (final eligibility is confirmed by the site team).
Usually NOT eligible if any of the following apply:
- Exclusion Criteria:
- Matched control group
- Current diagnosed psychiatric disorder (e.g., anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder)
- Current pregnancy
- BMI \> 35
- Currently on antipsychotics
- Group with depression
- Diagnosed with psychotic symptoms
- Diagnosed with other neurological or psychiatric disorders
- Current pregnancy
- BMI \> 35
- Currently on antipsychotics
🔍 Extracted verbatim from the official NIH eligibility criteria. Always confirm with the study coordinator.
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (1 Sites)
- Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute — Atlanta, Georgia
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.