Emotion regulation in people who experience repetitive negative thinking
The Neural Mechanisms of Emotion Dysregulation in Repetitive Negative Thinking (RNT) Patients: A Pilot Study
This project will use harmless infrared brain imaging to see if people who habitually ruminate show different brain responses during emotion-regulation tasks compared with matched healthy adults.
Quick facts
| Study type | Observational |
|---|---|
| Enrollment | 100 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years to 65 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University Hospital, Ghent Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Ghent) |
| Trial ID | NCT07513766 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This observational study will compare adults with high levels of repetitive negative thinking (linked to depression or generalized anxiety disorder) to age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Participants will complete emotion-regulation tasks on a computer while researchers record brain activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The team will analyze how communication between brain networks differs during emotional challenges and regulatory attempts. All visits take place at University Hospital Ghent and no experimental treatment is given.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder or generalized anxiety disorder who report high repetitive negative thinking, and matched healthy adults with no history of psychopathology, are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate therapeutic changes, those without the target diagnoses, or individuals unable to attend in-person visits are unlikely to gain direct benefit because this is an observational imaging study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could identify brain-activity patterns that help guide treatments to reduce rumination and improve emotion regulation in depression and anxiety.
How similar studies have performed: Previous neuroimaging work (including fMRI and some fNIRS studies) has reported altered emotion-regulation and network connectivity in rumination, though applying fNIRS to this specific clinical comparison remains partly novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Patient group: diagnosis of depression/GAD * Healthy control group: no history of or current form of psychopathology
Where this trial is running
Ghent
- University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, East-Flanders 9000 — Ghent, Belgium (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Chris Baeken — University Ghent
- Study coordinator: Chris Baeken
- Email: Chris.Baeken@ugent.be
- Phone: +32476209841
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.