About this trial
Current first-line treatments for major depression (antidepressants and psychotherapy) show a long latency to response, and less than half of all patients experience full remission with optimized treatment, indicating the need for new developments. The aim of this study is to extend and further develop a longstanding line of research of using sleep neurophysiology as a 'window to the brain' and treatment development in major depression. Particularly, this project is designed to test the feasibility, efficacy and mechanisms of action of a new sleep-based treatment technology.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Written informed consent
MDD according to ICD-10 criteria (F32.1/2, F33.1/2; i.e. unipolar depression) for patient group
Disqualifiers
Relevant psychiatric disorders (other than MDD for the patient group), such as organic psychiatric disorders, lifetime history of substance dependency or current substance abuse (smoking will be allowed for recruitment reasons), schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, affective disorders including bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, autism or other severe psychiatric disorders
Known pregnancy
Unstable medical conditions, such as unstable cardiovascular or metabolic disorders, etc.
Relevant neurological disorders, including epilepsy, stroke, etc.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Auditory closed-loop stimulation
- Sham stimulation
Treatment groups
Sponsors and collaborators
Christoph Nissen
Lead sponsor
University of Geneva, Switzerland
Sponsor institution