Last reviewed · How we verify
NCT07388004: PERSPECT
Group Therapy for Major Depression: Comparing Expectation-Focused and Reward-Focused Psychotherapy Approaches
NA trial testing Expectation-Focused Psychotherapeutic Intervention in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in 150 participants. Currently enrolling.
31 December 2027
Quick facts
| Lead sponsor | Philipps University Marburg |
|---|---|
| Phase | NA |
| Status | Recruiting now |
| Study type | INTERVENTIONAL |
| Allocation | randomized |
| Design | parallel |
| Masking | single |
| Primary purpose | treatment |
| Enrollment | 150 |
| Start date | 13 October 2025 |
| Primary completion | 31 December 2027 |
| Estimated completion | 30 June 2028 |
| Sites | 1 location across Germany |
Drugs / interventions tested
- Expectation-Focused Psychotherapeutic Intervention
- Reward Enhancement and Activation Therapy
Conditions studied
- Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) — all drugs for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) →
Sponsor
Philipps University Marburg
Who can join
Adults 18 to 80, any sex, with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.
Sponsor's own description
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric conditions and often remains difficult to treat effectively. Many patients continue to experience residual symptoms or relapse even after receiving established forms of psychotherapy. This study tests whether targeting specific psychological mechanisms can improve outcomes for people with depression. We compare two novel group therapies: (1) Expectation-Focused Psychotherapeutic Intervention (EFPI), which aims to modify rigid, negative expectations that maintain depressive symptoms, and (2) Reward Enhancement and Activation Therapy (REACT), which focuses on increasing sensitivity to positive experiences and strengthening reward-related learning. Both are delivered in a group format to foster peer support and shared learning. A total of 150 adults with a current MDD diagnosis will be randomly assigned to EFPI, REACT, or a waiting-list control. Participants in the intervention groups receive 10 group sessions over five weeks. Waiting-list participants complete baseline and 3-month follow-up assessments before being offered standard treatment options. Clinical outcomes are assessed at baseline, immediately after treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups (for the intervention groups). Primary outcomes are reductions in depressive symptoms measured by clinician ratings and self-report questionnaires. Secondary outcomes include changes in expectation processes and reward sensitivity. In addition, functional MRI (fMRI) tasks examine brain mechanisms related to expectation updating and reward processing pre- and post-intervention, to help identify neural changes that may underlie symptom improvement. By directly addressing dysfunctional expectations and reduced reward sensitivity, this study seeks to provide evidence for more targeted psychotherapeutic approaches. If successful, the results may support more personalized treatments and better long-term outcomes in MDD.
Publications & conference data
No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.
Verify or expand the search:
- PubMed search for NCT07388004
- Europe PMC full search
- ASCO Meeting Library
- ESMO Meeting Library
- bioRxiv preprints
- medRxiv preprints
- Google Scholar
Related trials
Other recruiting trials for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Currently open trials in the same condition.
- NCT07396272 — A Clinical Trial of Add-on Oral Slow-release Ketamine Treatment in Major Depression · Phase 2 · recruiting
- NCT07226661 — Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study in Adults With Major Depressive Disorder · Phase 2 · recruiting
- NCT07324070 — Electroconvulsive Therapy Augmented With Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Treatment Resistant Depression · NA · recruiting
- NCT06972368 — Home-Based tDCS for Depression in BPD · NA · recruiting
- NCT07294924 — Prediction of REsponse to Depression Interventions (Accelerated rTMS) Using Clinical and TD-fNIRS Measurements · recruiting
Other Philipps University Marburg trials
Trials by the same sponsor.
- NCT07498803 — Sota-ES - Sotatercept in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease and Eisenmenger´s Syndrome · Phase 2 · not yet recruiting
- NCT07166692 — Evaluation of a Retrieval Augmented Large Language Model as a Diagnostic Copilot in Rheumatology · NA · completed
- NCT06865534 — Large Language Models to Aid Gynecological Oncology Treatment · NA · recruiting
- NCT06968897 — Neurological Development In Toddlers After Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection During Pregnancy · enrolling by invitation
- NCT06962917 — Cross-Cultural Differences in the Network Structure of Social Anxiety and Body Dysmorphic Symptoms · completed
Verify against primary sources
- ClinicalTrials.gov — authoritative US registry record
- WHO ICTRP — international registry index
- EU Clinical Trials Register
- Sponsor press releases (Google)
- Trial protocol + status: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07388004 (US National Library of Medicine, public domain)
- Drug + disease cross-links: matched in real time against Drug Landscape's normalised drug + company + condition tables
- Sponsor: as reported to ClinicalTrials.gov by Philipps University Marburg
- Last refreshed: 10 February 2026
Drug Landscape aggregates and links these public records for informational use only. Always verify against the primary source before clinical or regulatory decisions. Canonical URL: https://druglandscape.com/trial/NCT07388004.
Primary sources · FDA · ClinicalTrials.gov · EMA · SEC EDGAR · ChEMBL · Wikidata · full sourcing