Gaze Contingent Attentional Reinforcement in Major Depressive Disorder

January 18, 2026 updated by: Amit Lazarov, Tel Aviv University

Gaze Contingent Attentional Reinforcement Treatment of MDD

The main objective of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate whether a gaze-contingent feedback task using negative reinforcement can serve as an effective attention-modification procedure and contribute to the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial uses a gaze-contingent attentional reinforcement task to modify attention allocation patterns to emotional stimuli in participants with Major Depressive Disorder. Specifically, participants will undergo 4 training sessions, during which either negative reinforcement (aversive white noise will be heard when gazing at sad faces) or positive reinforcement (music will be heard when gazing at happy faces) will be used to divert participants' gaze toward happy faces and away from sad faces. Depressive symptoms severity will be assessed before and after training (post-training and 3-month follow up) to examine changes (reduction) in symptom severity from before to after the intervention. Attention allocation will be assessed during training (i.e. online learning) as well as before and after training (i.e. transfer of learning).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Primary diagnosis of MDD
  • MADRS>=7
  • Normal or corrected-t-normal vision

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Present or past psychosis, manic or hypomanic episode, PTSD
  • High suicidal ideation or behavior
  • Severe alcohol or cannabis use disorder, and/or any severity of other substance use disorder (exepct nicotine use)
  • Pharmacological treatment if not stabilized for at least three months or concurrent psychotherapy
  • Current unstable or untreated medical illness
  • Current or past organic mental disorder, seizure or brain injury
  • Eye-tracking calibration difficulties
  • Post-ECT treatment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Gaze contingent negative reinforcement
participants will receive gaze-contingent negative reinforcement according to their viewing patterns
Behavioral: Aversive white noise
Participants will receveve gaze-contingent negative-reinforcement feedback according to their viewing patterns, such that when gazing at the target stimuli (i.e., happy faces) the noise will stop.
Placebo Comparator: Gaze contingent positive reinforcement
participants will receive gaze-contingent positive reinforcement according to their viewing patterns
Behavioral: Music reward
Participants will receive gaze-contingent music-reward according to their viewing patterns, such that when gazing at the target stimuli (i.e., happy faces) the music will play.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
MADRS- diagnostic interview scores
Time Frame: Post-treatment (1 week after treatment completion) and 3-month follow up
Change from baseline- the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating scale is a clinician-administered scale that includes 10 items that measure the severity of depressive symptoms. Each of the 10 items is scored on a 7-point scale (0-6). The total score, ranging from 0 to 60 is used to assess severity.
Post-treatment (1 week after treatment completion) and 3-month follow up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
PHQ-9 - self report measure
Time Frame: Post-treatment (1 week after treatment completion) and 3-month follow up
Change from baseline- the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 is a nine-question self-report questionnaire to assess the severity of depression based on symptoms over the past two weeks. Each item is scored from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). The overal score ranges from 0-27, indicating depression severity.
Post-treatment (1 week after treatment completion) and 3-month follow up

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Attention Allocation
Time Frame: Post-treatment (1 week after treatment completion) and 3-month follow up
Changes from baseline- attention allocation towards the target stimuli (happy faces) compared to the non-target stimuli (sad faces).
Post-treatment (1 week after treatment completion) and 3-month follow up
M.I.N.I diagnosis- diagnostic interview
Time Frame: Post-treatment (1 week after treatment completion) and 3-month follow up
Changes in the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview diagnosis. The M.I.N.I. is a structured diagnostic interview for DSM-5 and ICD-11 psychiatric disorders.
Post-treatment (1 week after treatment completion) and 3-month follow up

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Tel Aviv University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Amit Lazarov, PhD, Tel Aviv University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 29, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 18, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 18, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • TAU-MDD

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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