Stanford University Trial Evaluating fMRI Neurofeedback Using Matter Neuroscience App for Adults with Depression to Assess Safety and Efficacy

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying adults with mild to moderate depression to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of fMRI neurofeedback using the Matter Neuroscience app. This app aims to help users understand and activate positive emotions through photos and other inputs, potentially improving brain neuroplasticity linked to creativity, intelligence, empathy, and overall well-being. The study is designed to support care for depression and prepare for a larger clinical trial. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of eight groups that vary in home training, use of neurofeedback, type of photos personal or stock, and repeated brain scans. The Matter Neuroscience app, available on iPhone, will be used alongside a 7TMRI scanner to collect structural and functional brain data. Some groups will use the app with or without neurofeedback and with or without home training, while others will have no intervention components. During the study, participants will be assessed at multiple time points including screening, baseline, immediate post-intervention, one month, three months, and optionally six months later. These assessments include changes in depression severity using the MADRS scale and brain activity changes measured by fMRI scans. Participants will provide informed consent, maintain stable antidepressant doses if applicable, and engage with the app and study procedures throughout the study duration, which spans several months.

fMRI Neurofeedback With Matter Neuroscience App