Active clinical trials for "Mood Disorders"

This pilot study evaluated whether participating in an African drumming activity for 45 minutes immediately improved mental well-being among 13 adults diagnosed with acute mood disorders who were attending a private mental health clinic. The drumming intervention was completed by occupational therapists.

Weight gain is a serious, common side effect of many antipsychotic medications. On average, the highest amounts of weight gain are found to occur in people taking clozaril and olanzapine, but with significant weight gain occuring in those on the other atypical antipsychotics as well. We, the researchers at the University of North Carolina, propose an open-label observational, pilot study of the changes in weight, BMI, body composition, and lipids, glucose, insulin and other metabolic parameters occurring in subjects as they switch from treatment with olanzapine, risperidone or quetiapine to aripiprazole. This medication switch will be determined prior to their entering this study by their treating psychiatrist. We also will determine resting energy expenditure (REE) and respiratory quotient (RQ) as measured by metabolic cart to determine if either energy expenditure or the propensity to store energy as fat may be involved in any changes to weight that are detected. Food intake, hunger, and physical activity will also be assessed.

This research study is the continuation of a study started more than 20 years ago. The study was designed to explore the effect that depressed parents have on their children and to better understand the factors that contribute to depression development and maintenance. The study will continue to investigate if children have certain characteristics in early and middle childhood that predict the later development of psychological disorders. In addition, the study will continue looking at the processes responsible for the development of children of parents with and without affective (mood) disorders.

This application seeks to determine if neurophysiological metrics of memantine (MEM)-enhanced early auditory information processing (EAIP) in schizophrenia (SZ) mediate gains in auditory processing fidelity (APF) and auditory learning.

This is a single-blind randomized within-subject crossover design study that will be conducted in 2 phases. In Phase 1, up to 50 participants, after signing informed consent and determining eligibility, will undergo a baseline EEG and cognitive assessment. In Phase 2 participants will undergo tACS at IAF+2Hz, IAF-2Hz, and IAF during a double-flash illusion task in a randomized order. The tACS will be applied with a current of 1-2 mA (milliamperes) via two saline soaked electrode sponges (25 cm²) applied to the back of the head. The investigator's hypothesis is that participant's will perform better on the visual task while tACS is set to 2 Hz above their IAPF, relative to tACS set to 2 Hz below their IAPF.

Presentation & Pre-screening of the control group / reminiscence group Patient/resident pre-screening team meeting for the study Explanation and proposal of the study to patients and their families Signature of resident/patient and family consents Audit of inclusion and non-inclusion criteria Inclusion Medical advice for VR Clinical interview with the family or legal guardian for an accurate life history + an anamnesis interview (psychologist or doctor) with the patient or resident. Creation of video contents Creation of personalized video contents Clinical scales review Evaluation of the number of psychotropic molecules prescribed (coordinating doctor, general practitioner, geriatrician) Pre-test phase with the patient for the use of the VR headset Randomisation Session procedure As previously mentioned, the virtual reality sessions will take place in a quiet setting twice a week in the living or hosting residence. The sessions will be hold over a period of time of 6 weeks. Each subject of the reminiscence group will have two personalised virtual surroundings (after data being collected from team and/or families). The virtual environment will change every 3 weeks in order to avoid the phenomenon of habituation. The subjects of the control group will be exposed to two generic virtual settings (beach, mountain etc.) with a different virtual environment every 3 weeks. During the session, note will be taken on the subject's speech. The session will also be filmed and/or recorded with a prior signed agreement by the patient or his representative. - Last session (S6) Review of clinical scales (re-testing) Re-evaluation of drug prescriptions

The MoodNetwork, a patient-powered research network (PPRN), is one of 18 PPRNs participating in Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute's (PCORI) PCORnet network. Its objective is to improve the nation's capacity to conduct comparative effectiveness research that reflects questions of greatest importance to patients and other stakeholders. A robust data infrastructure will be built that, in phase one, allows participants to contribute data, including those from participant questionnaires, visualize their own health information in intuitive and helpful ways, and share their aggregated de-identified health information within and outside of the Network.

This study will explore possible hormonal causes of menstrual-related mood disorders (MRMD) by stopping the menstrual cycle with a drug called Lupron and then giving in sequence two menstrual cycle hormones, progesterone and estrogen. The study will first evaluate Lupron's effectiveness in treating MRMD and will then examine the effects of giving estrogen and progesterone on mood and behavior. In addition, positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) will be used to study serotonin receptors and transporters - molecules in the brain that are thought to play a major role in mood changes related to the menstrual cycle. Menstruating women between 18 and 50 years of age who are in good health, not pregnant, and not taking medications may be eligible for this study. Women with MRMD must have had at least moderately severe MRMD or behavioral disturbances for at least 6 months within 2 years of entering the study. Healthy controls must have no history of MRMD or behavioral disturbances. Candidates undergo physical and neurological examinations, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, and blood and urine tests. Results of a recent Pap smear (no longer than 12 months before beginning the study) must be available. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: Drug treatment: Lupron is injected into a muscle once a month for 5 months. After the second month, participants receive estrogen or progesterone, or both, daily. Estrogen is delivered through a skin patch (20 micrograms per day) and the progesterone is taken as a rectal or vaginal suppository twice a day for the remaining 12 weeks of the study. Every day, all participants wear a skin patch and insert two suppositories, but at some point during the 12 weeks, active medication is replaced with placebo to allow the drugs to wash out of the body. Physical examination and blood draw: A physical examination and blood tests are done at the start of the study and several times during the study to assess general health, evaluate liver and kidney function, and measure blood cell counts. Response to treatment drugs: Responses to Lupron, estrogen, and progesterone are evaluated periodically with interviews and symptoms self-rating scales. Control subjects also take paper and pencil psychological tests. PET imaging: A total of six PET scans are done at three time points during hormone treatment. PET uses small amounts of a radioactive chemical called a tracer that "labels" active areas of the brain. For the procedure, the subject lies on the scanner bed. A special mask is fitted to the head and attached to the bed to help keep the subject's head still during the scan so the images will be clear. A brief scan is done just before the radioactive tracer is injected to help in analyzing the PET data. After the tracer is injected through a catheter (plastic tube) placed in the arm, pictures are taken for about 2 hours, during which the subject lies still on the scanner bed. MRI scan: MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of body tissues and organs. For this procedure, the patient lies on a table that is moved into the scanner (a narrow cylinder) and wears earplugs to muffle loud knocking and thumping sounds that occur during the scanning process. The procedure lasts about 1 hour.

This study will investigate how the brain process emotions in healthy people and in patients who have major depression in order to better understand the causes of depression. It will examine what happens in the brain when a person responds to words related to different emotions while the brain's ability to manufacture a chemical called serotonin is reduced. Serotonin regulates functions such as emotion, anxiety and sleep, and stress hormones such as cortisol. In this study, participants' serotonin levels are reduced by depleting tryptophan, an amino acid that is the main building block for serotonin. Healthy volunteers and patients with major depression that has been in remission for at least 3 months may be eligible for this study. Candidates must be between 18 and 50 years of age and right-handed. They are interviewed about their medical and psychiatric history, current emotional state and sleep pattern, and family history of psychiatric disorders. Screening also includes psychiatric interviews and rating scales, neuropsychological tests, physical examination, electrocardiogram (EKG), and blood, urine, and saliva tests. Women have their menstrual phase determined by a blood test and home urine ovulation test kit. The study involves two clinic visits in which participants undergo tryptophan depletion and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Subjects arrive at the NIH Clinical Center in the morning after fasting overnight. They fill out questionnaires have a blood sample drawn, and then take 74 capsules that contain a mixture of amino acids found in the diet. At one visit they are given capsules that contain a balanced mixture of amino acids one would normally eat in a day; at the other visit, some of the capsules contain lactose instead of tryptophan, causing tryptophan depletion. At 2 p.m. participants fill out the same questionnaires they completed at the beginning of the day and have another blood sample drawn. Then they do a computerized test in the MRI scanner. MRI uses a magnet and radio waves to obtain pictures of the brain. For the test, subjects lie on a narrow bed that slides into the cylindrical MRI scanner. They are asked to press a button in response to words associated with different emotions that appear on a screen. Arterial spin labeling - a test that uses magnetism to measure blood flow in different areas of the brain-is also done during the procedure. After the scan, subjects eat a meal and then return home. DNA from the participants' blood samples is also examined to try to better understand the genetic causes of depression. Some of the white cells from the samples may also be grown in the laboratory so that additional studies can be done later. ...

The aim of this study is to explore the effects of probiotics in individuals with a clinically relevant depression on psychiatric symptoms and cognition, inflammatory parameters, as well as gene-expression. The study is conducted as a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, prospective, monocentric clinical study, with a two-arm parallel group design. Individuals in the intervention group receive the multispecies probiotics "Omnibiotics Stress Repair" in addition to vitamin B7, while individuals in the control group receive "Placebo" in addition to vitamin B7.