Active clinical trials for "Depressive Disorder"

The investigators are conducting a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the antidepressant effects of nitrous oxide in people with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). MDD is a global medical condition that causes significant health and economic burden. Recent studies have shown that a single dose of ketamine, an NMDA-antagonist, has fast and long lasting anti-depressant effect. Nitrous oxide, another NMDA-antagonist, is widely used for anesthesia and analgesia, safer to administer and has fewer side effects than ketamine. A randomized controlled crossover feasibility study showed significant reduction in depressive symptoms at 2 and 24 hours after a single 1-hour treatment session of inhaled nitrous oxide compared with placebo. Nitrous oxide is inexpensive and can be safely administered by any trained clinician. If found to be efficacious, it could be used to provide rapid anti-depressant effect whilst the benefit of traditional anti-depressants has its delayed effect. Another potential application could be in acutely suicidal patients. This investigated-initiated phase 2b trial will enable confirmation and extension of the findings from the feasibility study, and identify the optimal dose and regimen in a broader population of those with MDD. Participants will be randomized to receive a weekly 1-hour inhalational sessions of either nitrous oxide or placebo (oxygen-air mixture) for 4 weeks, and the nitrous group will be further randomly assigned to a dose of 50% nitrous oxide or 25% nitrous oxide. Depression severity will be assessed by a blinded observer pre-treatment and at weekly intervals during and for 4 weeks after treatment using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of whole-body hyperthermia in addition to standard medical care in comparison to standard medical care alone on depressive symptom severity in patients with moderate to severe depressive disorder. Secondary aims included further quality of life outcomes, immunological parameters, and tolerability/safety of the hyperthermia.

A single subanesthetic dose infusion of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine has rapid and robust antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-refractory major depressive disorder (TRD). A family history of an alcohol use disorder (Family History Positive, FHP) is one of the strongest identified predictors of an improved antidepressant response to ketamine. Like ketamine, alcohol is a functional NMDA receptor antagonist. FHP is associated with differential response to both alcohol, e.g. decreased body sway and plasma cortisol, and ketamine, e.g. blunted psychotomimetic side effects. One of the primary mechanistic hypotheses for ketamine's antidepressant action is the acute intrasynaptic release of glutamate from major output neurons, e.g. cortical pyramidal cells. Preliminary clinical studies have demonstrated this acute glutamate "surge" in response to subanesthetic dose ketamine. Based on these findings, the investigators hypothesize that ketamine's enhanced antidepressant efficacy in FHP TRD subjects is, at least in part, attributable to increased glutamate release relative to TRD subjects without a family history of alcohol use disorder (Family History Negative, FHN). The investigators also hypothesize that alcohol similarly augments glutamate release in this bio- logically-enriched subgroup, which may be a more objective biomarker than family history status. To test these hypotheses, the investigators have designed a now two-site, open-label study of 21-65 year old medically and neurologically healthy, currently moderately-to-severely depressed TRD patients. In total, the investigators plan to recruit 25 FHP and 25 FHN TRD subjects. All subjects must not have a lifetime substance use disorder (except nicotine or caffeine), no lifetime history of an alcohol use disorder and socially drink. The experimental portion consists of two phases. The preliminary first phase is a medication taper (if needed) and psychotropic medication-free period. The experimental second phase comprises two pharmacokinetically-defined basal-bolus alcohol and one subanesthetic dose (0.5mg/kg x 40 minute) ketamine infusions. The first alcohol infusion will establish the pharmacokinetic profile for a subsequent alcohol infusion occurring during 7T-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), both resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to detect glutamate in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex/ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vmPFC/vACC). The ketamine infusion will also occur during 7T-MRI. The primary outcome measure is group mean change in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score from pre-ketamine infusion (baseline) to one week post-infusion, where the investigators observed ketamine's greatest antidepressant effect in FHP TRD. Additional outcome measures are vmPFC/vACC glutamate change in response to ketamine and alcohol challenge based on family history status. In summary, this study will provide key mechanistic information on ketamine's improved antidepressant efficacy in a biologically-enriched subgroup. This will contribute to the systematic development of more efficacious, personalized treatments for major depression in an effort to reduce its enormous public health burden.

To compare the efficacy of schema therapy versus active monitoring for women with chronic depression receiving psychiatric care.

HYPOTHESIS: Pregnenolone administration will be associated with greater reduction in depressive symptom severity than placebo in women with current mMDD. STUDY AIMS: Primary Aim: Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater reduction in depressive symptom severity than placebo in women with mMDD, as measured by MADRS. Secondary Aims: Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater reduction in anxiety symptom severity than placebo in women with mMDD. Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater improvement in cognition than placebo in women with mMDD. Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater improvement in quality of life than placebo in women with mMDD. Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater improvement in vasomotor symptoms of menopause than placebo. Mechanistic Aims: Determine whether changes in neurosteroid levels with pregnenolone mediate clinical response. Determine if baseline neurosteroid levels predict pregnenolone response. Determine whether depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep or vasomotor symptoms improve first. A crossed-lagged panel model will explore serial correlations between changes in outcome measures.

This study aims at investigating if adjunctive buprenorphine at low dose to treatment as usual is effective in reducing severe suicidal ideas in major depressive episode, and at determining the most effective dose.

Depression is a major handicap in daily life and is often treated by behavioral activation (CA), including the Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD).The CA principle is to set up activities, in keeping with the values of the individual. Other tools associated with the CA deserve to be explored as virtual reality (VR), which offers scenarios and sensations similar to real life and a sense of life. in a safe and controlled environment, with the support of the therapist.The main objective is to compare the effectiveness of the program "BATD with RV" versus "BATD without RV" on the intensity of the depressive symptomatology and CA in everyday life. Methodology: This is a randomized, blinded study. Inclusion criteria are: 18 to 70 years old; unipolar depression diagnosis; Showing a score of ≥ 17 on the BDI-II. 80 subjects will be recruited over 24 months and randomized into 2 groups: 1) intervention group program BATD in VR; 2) BATD program intervention group without RV, lasting 45 minutes. Judgment Criteria: The effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated by the BDI-II scale and the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale (BADS). Outcomes: A new management of depression (AC with RV) to improve the quality of life of the patient; proof of its effectiveness; a generalization of this care; and recognition of its effectiveness in the scientific community.

The goal is to study the effect of lithium compared to cariprazine in patients with depression in a bipolar disease. The main question it aims to answer is: Difference in change between the two groups from baseline to after 8 weeks treatment on Hamilton Ratings Scale for Depression, 6-item version (HDS-6) Participants will be randomized to treatment with either lithium or cariprazin. Will meet for interview and ratings 4 times during study period. In two meetings, there will be made blood samples and ECG. At one meeting also a Urine sample. Will be contacted for telephone interviews at 6 occasions.

Depression has a yearly prevalence superior to 5%, but a 30% of patients cannot benefit of pharmacological treatment, resulting resistant to it. Transcranial direct current stimulation, due to its reduced invasiveness and easy administration showed to be a useful technique to treat these cases, and it is now broadly used in clinical practice. Moreover, thanks to technological advances, this treatment could be self-administered at home, reducing costs and improving scalability. The aim of this study is to confirm the efficacy, safety and feasibility of a home-based intervention for treatment-resistant depression To do this participants will perform a home-based tDCS intervention consisting of 30 minutes sessions, 5 days per week, for 4 weeks. Results should provide critical knowledge regarding home-based therapies for the treatment of resistant depression and evidence on brain mechanisms underlying response to non-invasive brain stimulation.

The goal of this clinical trial is to test (1) a novel maternal ready-to-use supplementary food and (2) a novel cognitive behavioral therapy intervention in undernourished Sierra Leonean women. The main questions it aims to answer are: Will the addition of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), as well as choline, to a maternal ready-to-use supplementary food (M-RUSF+) prolong gestation when compared with a similar supplementary food except that it lacks DHA, EPA, and choline (M-RUSF)? Will M-RUSF+ improve infant cognitive development at 9 months of age when compared with M-RUSF? Will the novel CBT program improve ante- and post-partum depression?