Actively Recruiting
Exploring the Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Decision-Making
Led by University of Bern · Updated on 2025-07-23
444
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
134 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
U
University of Bern
Lead Sponsor
K
ki:elements
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
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
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Exploring the Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Decision-Making
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Written informed consent
- Age between 20 and 40 years or between 60 and 75 years
- Fluent in German
- Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
- No color blindness
- Right-handed
- Non-smoker (healthy group only)
- Diagnosed with mild to moderate depression (patient group only)
You will not qualify if you...
- History of neurological disorders (healthy group)
- History of psychiatric disorders (healthy group)
- Use of psychotropic medication (healthy group)
- Intake of benzodiazepines or antipsychotic medication (patient group)
- Psychiatric disorders other than depression (e.g., psychosis, mania, personality disorders) or depression with organic cause (patient group)
- Presence of magnetizable implants
- Alcohol or drug dependence
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
University of Bern, Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Bern, Switzerland, 3000
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
M
Maya D Yilmaz, M.Sc.
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
DOUBLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
4
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