Depression

A multicenter trial has begun in China to test closed-loop brain-computer interface neuromodulation for treatment-resistant depression, run jointly by the Shanghai Mental Health Center and two Beijing hospitals, Anding Hospital and Xuanwu Hospital. The study will compare closed-loop deep brain stimulation and transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation against sham stimulation, enrolling patients who have responded inadequately to standard antidepressant treatment. It uses a patient-preference design with randomized assignment within each intervention group.

A trial registered in China pairs brain-computer interface technology with mindfulness meditation training for adolescents with depression, recording EEG alongside the sessions to see how brain activity changes. The question is whether real-time brain signals can be read during meditation and fed back into the training, making the intervention more responsive to each participant's state. Recruitment has not yet started, and the design, sample size and sponsor have not been disclosed.