This study is recruiting non-metastatic breast cancer survivors who were diagnosed between ages 18 and 51 and are currently 6 months to 5 years post-treatment. Eligible participants must have a score of 5–14 on the PHQ-8 depression screening tool. This study is testing a digital mindfulness meditation-based program. "Investigational" means it has not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Participants will be randomly assigned (like drawing one number out of three at random) to one of three groups: (1) live online mindfulness classes over Zoom, (2) a specially designed mindfulness app, or (3) guided audio meditations. The primary purpose of this study is to determine if different ways of delivering digital mindfulness training can improve mental health and well-being in younger breast cancer survivors. The program is delivered either by live online sessions, through a mobile app, or by listening to guided meditation recordings. Participants can expect to be in this study for about 9 months, including a 6-week training program and questionnaires before, during, and after training. Participants will be enrolled for a duration of 9 months, and a total of 15 patients will be recruited locally over the course of 36 months.
In this study, we are testing whether a higher dose of a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), can be safely used in people with depression. Participants will come to the Brain Stimulation Lab and receive mild electrical stimulation through electrodes placed on their scalp.
The study begins with a safety run-in, where the first few participants will receive stimulation at gradually increasing levels (2, 4, and 6 milliamps) while being closely monitored. If no serious side effects are found, later participants will receive repeated 6 milliamp sessions for 5 days total. We will check skin comfort, mood, and overall tolerability after each session.
Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy often experience problems with mood, thinking, or behavior that cannot be explained by seizure activity alone. This study will examine how cognitive and mood-related brain regions communicate in patients undergoing routine intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) seizure assessment in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). While the clinical electrodes are in place, we will apply brief single magnetic pulses (single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation, or spTMS) to the scalp in specific brain regions and record the brain's electrical response through the existing electrodes; no additional surgery is required. We will compare the responses to stimulation of an emotionally and cognitively relevant region (left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) with a contrast site (primary motor cortex). We will also investigate whether momentary brain rhythms and seizure-related electrical activity affect responses propagation through the brain. The findings may help identify measurable brain signaling patterns ("biomarkers") to understand how cognitive-emotional brain networks work in people with epilepsy and inform future personalized non-invasive brain stimulation methods for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Apathy is a common set of symptoms seen in many people following a stroke. Apathy occurs when a person has lost motivation, becomes withdrawn, and stops doing things that used to be important to them. Apathy has a large negative impact on a person's quality of life, and can also have a large impact the people who take care of individuals with apathy. There are currently no FDA-approved treatments to help with apathy, and other services like therapy may be difficult to access for people who have had a stroke. To address this problem, we are conducting a study to find out if a form of treatment called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can be safe and helpful for people struggling with apathy after a stroke. Our study will apply a new form of rTMS which can be delivered quickly to a part of the brain called the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Our study will help establish whether this treatment is safe, comfortable, and effective for people with apathy after a stroke, and will help researchers develop new forms of treatment.
This research study is being conducted to gather information regarding the use of bright light therapy for depression treatment among hospitalized patients 60 years or older. If you choose to participate and meet criteria for inclusion in this study, you will be randomly assigned (like the flip of a coin) to receive either active light therapy or a placebo that is not expected to provide a benefit for your depression. The active treatment has been shown to be effective at reducing the symptoms of depression in other populations, but it has not been rigorously studied in patients 60 years or older who are hospitalized.
Depression is common among cancer survivors but current screening approaches are not adequate. To help develop better strategies to screen for depression among cancer survivors, we will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial with cancer survivors to evaluate whether a text message based approach to depression screening is feasible, acceptable, and potentially more effective than existing standard of care approaches to depression screening among cancer survivors.
Depression is common among cancer survivors but current screening approaches are not adequate. To help develop better strategies to screen for depression among cancer survivors, we will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial with cancer survivors to evaluate whether a text message based approach to depression screening is feasible, acceptable, and potentially more effective than existing standard of care approaches to depression screening among cancer survivors.
Depression is common among cancer survivors but current screening approaches are not adequate. To help develop better strategies to screen for depression among cancer survivors, we will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial with cancer survivors to evaluate whether a text message based approach to depression screening is feasible, acceptable, and potentially more effective than existing standard of care approaches to depression screening among cancer survivors.
Depression is common among cancer survivors but current screening approaches are not adequate. To help develop better strategies to screen for depression among cancer survivors, we will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial with cancer survivors to evaluate whether a text message based approach to depression screening is feasible, acceptable, and potentially more effective than existing standard of care approaches to depression screening among cancer survivors.
Depression is common among cancer survivors but current screening approaches are not adequate. To help develop better strategies to screen for depression among cancer survivors, we will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial with cancer survivors to evaluate whether a text message based approach to depression screening is feasible, acceptable, and potentially more effective than existing standard of care approaches to depression screening among cancer survivors.