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Neuroscience of Psychotherapy for Depression

Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill • ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT06696001

Registry updated: 2026-08-27

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Description

The goal of this study is to learn the extent to which client-therapist brain activity may synchronize during a psychosocial intervention for depression symptoms. The study will compare behavioral activation, a client-centered type of cognitive-behavioral therapy, to psychoeducation which delivers information on strategies to recover from depression symptoms. Participants will answer questions about their mental and physical health, attend one psychosocial intervention session receiving either Behavioral Activation or Psychoeducation with simultaneous brain activity measurement and complete follow up surveys two weeks and one month following the intervention.

Interventions

Psychoeducation (Behavioral)
For the psychoeducation session, the focus is for the therapist to engage with the client regarding mental health broadly without a targeted effort to reinforce therapeutic alliance or to offer individualized guidance or techniques. The session will provide educational information on depression, depression symptoms and known causes, and strategies to reduce depression symptoms. The content will be delivered in a fashion to avoid individualization and psychotherapeutic exchange. The elements will focus on components of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), differentiating between thoughts and feelings, common cognitive shortcuts, and the connection between behavior and emotion.
Behavioral Activation (Behavioral)
Behavioral Activation (BA) is a psychotherapy treatment modality used for depression and focuses on replacing maladaptive coping mechanism that reinforce depressive symptoms with adaptive coping mechanisms to increase exposure to positive reinforcement. The treatment will consist of the following elements: Introduction to establish concept of positive reinforcement and build rapport, identification of client-centered values, individualized values-based activity planning and scheduling, and developing adaptive coping strategies for the future.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria for participants/clients: * Between ages 18 and 30 * Full-time student status (undergraduate, graduate, and professional) * Experience mild to moderate depressive symptoms as determined by the Beck Depression Inventory (score: 14-28) * Capacity to understand study procedures (informed consent) * Ability to speak and understand English * Willingness to comply with study procedures Inclusion Criteria for therapists: * Ages 18 or older * Qualification to administer therapy (decided by the Principal Investigator) * Capacity to understand the study procedures (informed consent) * Speak and understand English * Willingness to comply with study procedures Exclusion Criteria for participants/clients: * Active, Current Suicidal ideation as determined by the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) in the past month * Past suicidal attempt (lifetime) * Recently initiated psychotherapy (past month) * Elevated psychosis risk based on self-report prodromal questionnaire - brief version (PQ-B) or self-reported diagnosis of psychotic disorder by mental health provider * Positive screen for autism spectrum disorder based on the self-report autism quotient (AQ-10) or self-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder by mental health provider, * Daily intake of benzodiazepine of \>20 mg diazepam milligram equivalent * Inability to give informed, voluntary, written consent to participate * Inability to effectively communicate in English as determined by interaction with study personnel * Anything else that in the assessment of the study team is not conducive to the successful completion of the study requirements. There are no exclusion criteria for therapists

Conditions

Depression

Locations

Carolina Center for Neurostimulation — Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

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Official Source

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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