NCT05925322

Brain Changes During Social Reward Psychotherapy for Mid- and Late-Life Suicidality

Brain Changes During Social Reward Psychotherapy for Mid- and Late-Life Suicidality: A Precision Imaging Trial

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 128 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Weill Medical College of Cornell University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 50 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The investigators hypothesized that during the 9-week course of Engage \& Connect treatment there will be an increase in brain functions of the Positive Valence System which in turn will lead to reduction in suicidality.

Detailed description

Social disconnection peaks in middle and late life and leads to an increased risk of suicide, persistent depression, and poor response to psychosocial interventions. There is a critical need to develop a mechanistic understanding of the link between social disconnection and suicidality, identify biological targets, and address targets with scalable interventions. The investigators developed a novel psychotherapy, Engage \& Connect, aimed to improve functions of the Positive Valence System (PVS) that are impaired in suicidality through increased engagement in rewarding social activities. This study will use state-of-the-art precision imaging methods and clinical measures to evaluate brain- and behavioral changes in the PVS during psychotherapy. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to 9-weekly sessions of either Engage \& Connect therapy or Symptom Review and Psychoeducation * Complete 4 research assessments * Complete 3 MRI scans

Conditions

• Depression
• Suicidal Ideation
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Depressive Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	"Engage & Connect" Psychotherapy	9-weeks of weekly psychotherapy sessions focused on social reward exposure
BEHAVIORAL	Symptom Review and Psychoeducation (SRP)	9-weeks of weekly psychotherapy sessions focused on symptom review and psychoeducation about depression and aging

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-09-18
• Primary completion: 2028-09-30
• Completion: 2028-09-30
• First posted: 2023-06-29
• Last updated: 2026-03-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States