Mindfulness and brain stimulation to improve thinking and mood in older adults in Taiwan
Official title: Intervention Evaluation for Late-life Depression in Taiwan Urban and Rural Areas: Long-term Tracking and Prediction of Non-pharmaceutical Interventions by Smart AI Technologies
Run by National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan · NCT07186023 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial will test whether mindfulness programs or noninvasive brain stimulation can improve thinking skills and mood in older adults living in urban and rural Taiwan.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 55 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 124 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (New Taipei City and 1 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | August 1, 2025 |
| Main results expected | May 2028 |
| Study ends | December 2028 |
| Registry record updated | September 22, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07186023 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are literate, right-handed older adults who can communicate and travel to the Taipei or Yunlin sites and who do not have dementia, major neurological disease, substance dependence, or unstable medical conditions.
✕Probably not a fit
People with dementia, stroke or other major cerebrovascular disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, significant medical instability, substance dependence, or MRI-incompatible metal implants are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized controlled trial compares several mindfulness-based programs (MBSR, MBWC, MBCI) and a brain stimulation intervention in older adults recruited from urban and rural sites in Taiwan. Participants receive comprehensive baseline and follow-up psychological, behavioral, psychophysiological, and neuroimaging (MRI) assessments to measure cognition and depressive symptoms. Eligible participants are literate, right-handed older adults without dementia, major neurological disorders, serious medical illnesses, substance dependence, or MRI-incompatible metal implants. Interventions are nonpharmacological and delivered at clinical sites in New Taipei City and Yunlin, and outcomes will be compared across groups to see which approaches best improve geriatric well-being or reduce depression severity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these nonmedication approaches could improve cognitive function and reduce depressive symptoms in older adults while avoiding drug side effects.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have shown modest benefits of mindfulness and noninvasive brain stimulation on mood and cognition in older adults, but results have been mixed and combined approaches are still relatively untested.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria for individuals participating in mindfulness-based Interventions: * Literate or have received an education above the elementary level. * Have normal or corrected vision and hearing, able to communicate and understand explanations. * Right-handed individuals as assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. Exclusion Criteria for individuals participating in mindfulness-based Interventions: * Individuals with dementia, stroke, cerebrovascular disease, brain injury, epilepsy, or Parkinson's disease. * Individuals with neurological system disorders. * Individuals with alcohol or drug dependence. * Individuals with other major physical illnesses, such as diabetes, heart failure, or endocrine abnormalities, or those who have experienced an acute myocardial infarction within the past three months. * Individuals with metal objects in the body that cannot undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), such as cardiac pacemakers, vascular clips, hearing aids, artificial joints, steel pins, etc. * Individuals with Claustrophobia. * Individuals in pregnancy or possibility of pregnancy. Inclusion Criteria for individuals participating in brain stimulation Intervention: * Individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder by psychiatrists according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, and who can cooperate with the psychiatric outpatient clinic regulations. * Literate or have received an education above the elementary level. * Have normal or corrected vision and hearing, able to communicate and understand explanations. * Right-handed individuals as assessed by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. * Individuals are prescribed brain stimulation therapy by clinical physicians. Exclusion Criteria for individuals participating in brain stimulation Intervention: * Individuals with dementia, stroke, cerebrovascular disease, brain injury, epilepsy, or Parkinson's disease. * Individuals with neurological system disorders. * Individuals with alcohol or drug dependence. * Individuals with other major physical illnesses, such as diabetes, heart failure, or endocrine abnormalities, or those who have experienced an acute myocardial infarction within the past three months. * Individuals with metal objects in the body that cannot undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), such as cardiac pacemakers, vascular clips, hearing aids, artificial joints, steel pins, etc. * Individuals with Claustrophobia. * Individuals in pregnancy or possibility of pregnancy.
Where it's running
-
Shuang Ho Biomedical Park, Taipei Medical University
New Taipei City, Taiwan Recruiting -
National Center for Geriatrics and Welfare Research
Yunlin, Taiwan Not yet recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Ai-Ling Hsu, PhD.
- Email: alhsu@nhri.edu.tw
- Phone: +886-5-6327369
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.