Chatbot Intervention Effects on Resting-State Brain Function in Anhedonia

NCT07665216 · tracked via the Priya Life Science China tracker

Sponsor

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Phase

Not applicable

Started

2026-06-20

Last updated

2026-07-09

Condition(s) studied

Healthy

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

MI Chatbot InteractionActive Control Chatbot Interaction

MI Chatbot Interaction: The experimental chatbot is designed to use principles of Motivational Interviewing to support participants in exploring their personal values, motivation for change, and daily behavioral goals related to pleasure, engagement, and reward-seeking. During the intervention period, participants will interact with the chatbot regularly through brief text-based conversations. The chatbot will provide empathic, non-judgmental responses, encourage reflection on current difficulties, and help participants identify small, feasible actions that may increase daily engagement and positive experiences. It will not provide diagnosis, crisis counseling, or medical treatment.

Active Control Chatbot Interaction: Participants will interact with a chatbot matched in format and frequency of use. This chatbot will provide neutral nature-related stories or general natural history content. It will be designed to maintain participant engagement while avoiding therapeutic techniques, motivational interviewing strategies, behavioral activation guidance, or personalized mental health advice. This active control condition will help control for nonspecific effects of chatbot interaction, attention, expectancy, and digital engagement.

Study summary

The main aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of a Motivational Interviewing-based artificial intelligence chatbot on resting-state brain function in college students with elevated anhedonia and depressive symptoms. The study will use a randomized active-control intervention design with pre- and post-intervention resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging assessments.

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Min age

18 Years

Max age

40 Years

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

Inclusion Criteria: * 18-40 years * Right-handed * Normal or corrected normal visual acuity * Participants must show elevated anhedonia and depressive symptoms at screening, defined as a total score of 22 or higher on the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale and a score of 14 or higher on the Beck Depression Inventory Exclusion Criteria: * History of major central nervous system disorders, such as epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke, or brain tumors. * History of severe mental illness, including schizophrenia spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, or other psychotic disorders. * History of substance or alcohol use disorder or substance or alcohol misuse within the past 12 months that may affect study participation or outcome assessment. * Individuals currently at high risk of suicide, severe self-harm, or experiencing an acute psychiatric crisis. * Individuals who are currently using psychiatric medications or have undergone psychotherapy within the past 4 weeks that may significantly affect mood, motivation, or reward processing. * Severe vision or hearing impairments that cannot be corrected and would interfere with task performance. * Contraindications to MRI scanning, including metallic implants, pacemakers, severe claustrophobia, or other conditions incompatible with MRI. * Pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Primary outcome measure(s)

Intervention-Related Changes in Resting-State Functional Connectivity After the Intervention — Baseline before the first chatbot interaction and Week 1 after completion of the chatbot intervention.
Resting-state fMRI will be used to examine functional connectivity among predefined regions involved in reward, social, and self-referential processing. Connectivity will be estimated from Pearson correlations between regional BOLD time series and then converted using the Fisher z transformation. Changes from baseline to post-intervention will be reported as dimensionless Fisher z values.

Trial sites (1)

Facility	City	Region	Status
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China	Chengdu	Sichuan	Recruiting

Official registry record

This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.

View NCT07665216 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ ← All trials in China