Active clinical trials for "Depression"

The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical efficacy of real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging neurofeedback (rtfMRI-nf) training to increase the amygdala's response to positive autobiographical memories in patients with depression who are considered treatment-resistant

This study will assess the effects of moderate vs. high intensity aerobic exercise, performed 3 times a week for 12 weeks under supervised conditions, on symptoms of depression, cognitive functioning and brain function in transitional aged youth (TAY: aged 16-24 years).

Background: Depression and pain are highly comorbid and share biological mechanisms. Acupuncture is commonly used to manage both pain and depression, but the choice of acupoints for specific disorders differs. This study aimed to investigate whether specific acupuncture intervention on pain- and depression-acupoints would have specific efficacy and immune effects in patients with comorbid chronic pain and major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: We performed a subject- and assessor-blinded, crossover, and randomized controlled clinical trial of depression- and pain-specific acupuncture intervention and measured clinical responses and proinflammatory cytokines in patients with comorbid chronic pain and MDD. Specific acupoints for pain and depression were used in random order with a washout interval. Outcome measures During the visits at weeks 0 (baseline), 2, 4, 6 (after the first 6-week intervention), 8 (before the start of the second 6-week intervention), 10, 12, and 14 (after the second 6-week intervention), trained research nurses assessed the patients for depressive symptoms, pain symptoms, and the quality of life by using the HAM-D (Hamilton, 1960), BDI-II (Beck et al., 1996), BPI, Neurotoxicity Rating Scale (NRS), Clinical Global Impression scale (CGI), and World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). The HAM-D and BDI-II are the most frequently used observer-rated and self-report scales of depression, respectively. The BPI rapidly assesses the severity of pain and its impact on functioning. The NRS is a reliable and valid self-report measure used in the evaluation of psychiatric and physical symptoms. The CGI are measures of symptom severity, treatment response and the efficacy of treatments. The WHOQOL-BREF contains four domains related to the quality of life: physical health, psychological, social relationships and environment. Blood sample and quantification of cytokines At weeks 0 (baseline), 6 (after the first 6-week intervention), 8 (before the start of the second 6-week intervention), and 14 (after the second 6-week intervention), peripheral venous blood samples (20 mL per time) were collected from the patients.

Antidepressant-free unipolar melancholic depressed patients (at least stage 2 treatment-resistant) will be selected by a certified psychiatrist, who will administer (semi-)structured clinical interviews. Because concomitant antidepressant treatment can confound outcome results, all patients will go through a medication washout before entering the study and they will be free from any antidepressant, neuroleptic and mood stabilizer for at least two weeks before entering the treatment protocol. Only habitual benzodiazepine agents will be allowed. STEP 1: Patients will be treated with in total 20 accelerated intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (aiTBS) sessions (3000 pulses/session) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which will be spread over 4 days. On each stimulation day, a given patient will receive 5 sessions with a between-session delay of 15 minutes. Patients will be randomized to receive either the real aiTBS or sham treatment (first week). However, the sham group will receive real aiTBS treatment with 10 days' time interval. The investigators expect that real aiTBS treatment and not sham will result in a significant and clinical meaningful response. STEP 2: To optimize treatment and reduce relapse following the iTBS treatment, in a stepped care approach, all patients then continue with cognitive control training (CCT) ten days later. This CCT consists of 20 sessions, spread over 4 weeks. Patients will be randomized to receive either real CCT or a control training. During this follow-up treatment, all patients will be prescribed antidepressant medication (SSRI) again. As iTBS treatment effects are known to decline over time, the investigators expect that combining aiTBS with a follow-up CCT therapy will stabilize the clinical effects over time compared to receiving the iTBS treatment alone. For baseline comparisons, patients will be closely matched for gender and age with never-depressed, medication-free healthy volunteers. No volunteer will undergo treatment.

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment for depression. It stimulates the brain. Researchers want to see if using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans helps locate the best area for rTMS in each person. They also want to find other ways to make it more effective. Objective: To study the effects of combining MRI- guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and talk therapy on the brain in people with depression. Eligibility: Adults ages 18-75 with a major depressive disorder and current depression. If taking an antidepressant, should have been doing so for at least 4 weeks. Design: Participants will be screened with medical and psychiatric history, psychiatric evaluation, physical exam, and blood and urine tests. Phase 1 is 1-4 visits in 1 week. Participants will have: Brain MRI. Participants will lie on a table in a scanner. Questions about their medical history and psychology symptoms Tests of mood and thinking Tests of brain activity. Participants may do tasks during these tests: A cone with magnetic detectors is put on the head. A cap with electrodes is put on the scalp. TMS. A brief electrical current passes through a wire coil on the scalp. A metal disk will be placed on the arm. A nerve will be stimulated with a small electrical shock. Phase 2 is about 6 to 7 weeks. There will be 30 daily sessions of combined therapy and repetitive TMS (rTMS) for 6 weeks. Participants will receive rTMS and another therapy by computer. For rTMS, repeated pulses will pass through the coil. This is followed by up to 3 additional visits, when: Participants will repeat Phase 1 tests Participants will rate their depression symptoms. Phase 3 is 3 visits over 3 months. Participants will rate their depression symptoms and repeat some of the previous questionnaires and tests of mood and thinking.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric condition, mostly treated with antidepressant drugs, which are limited for issues such as refractoriness, adverse effects and drug interactions, especially in the elderly population. In this context, the investigators investigate a non-pharmacological treatment known as recurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with the theta-burst stimulation (TBS) method for the treatment of geriatric depression. This treatment modality has almost no adverse effects and avoids the risk associated with polypharmacy, providing an interesting alternative to antidepressant treatments. Our aim is to evaluate TBS efficacy in the treatment of geriatric depression in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

The primary goals of this proof of concept clinical trial are to determine the effectiveness, safety and tolerability of oral FMT in adults with Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD).

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of vortioxetine, once daily (QD), on mood disorders and cognitive dysfunction in patients with head and neck cancers undergoing radiotherapy.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects an estimated 350 million people worldwide and is a leading contributor to global disease burden. Commonly used monoamine reuptake-inhibiting treatments for depression are suboptimal, resulting in only 30% of patients achieving remission. This may be because monoamine dysfunction is not the primary pathophysiology in all MDD patients. One avenue for the development of novel MDD treatments is through anti-inflammatory drugs; MDD is linked to a pro-inflammatory phenotype characterized by microglial activation, leading to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and upregulation of cellular markers including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and translocator protein (TSPO; a protein located on the outer membrane of microglia). Relevant to this proposal, TSPO can serve as an in vivo marker of neuroinflammation using the newly developed positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for TSPO, [18F]FEPPA. In support of this, a recent [18F]FEPPA PET study found that MDD patients in a current major depressive episode (MDE) had significantly higher TSPO binding in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insula, relative to healthy controls. The prefrontal cortex and ACC are both implicated in mood regulation whereas the insula is involved in interoceptive signaling, which is known to be abnormal in MDD. Celecoxib, a selective COX-2 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), is a promising new treatment for neuroinflammation in MDD. Clinical studies have observed that, in a subset of depressed patients, celecoxib treatment reduced depression severity as assessed by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). While these findings demonstrate that celecoxib reduces symptom severity, PET imaging technology is critical for understanding how celecoxib affects the underlying pathophysiology of depression. Here, the team will investigate neuroinflammation as an underlying pathology in depression and test whether neuroinflammation is reduced by celecoxib in MDD patients. Specifically, in the proposed pilot study, MDD patients in a current MDE will receive [18F]FEPPA PET scans prior to and following 8 weeks of treatment with 400mg/day of celecoxib, with HDRS scores obtained at each time point. The investigators hypothesize that following celecoxib treatment, patients will show a significant reduction in neuroinflammation in the PFC, ACC and insula, which will correlate positively with the reduction in depressive symptoms, as measured by the HDRS. The proposed study will use novel imaging technology, [18F]FEPPA PET, to measure the effects of celecoxib on neuroinflammation in MDD patients. Our results will help to 1) identify neuroinflammation as an underlying pathology in MDD and 2) test whether reduction of inflammation is the mechanism of action of celecoxib. As such, the results of this study will aid in the development of targeted clinical treatments to improve remission rates in MDD patients.

Background: Depression during pregnancy is common, afflicting 10-20% of pregnant women. Nevertheless, many women want to avoid antidepressant treatment during pregnancy, due to the possible impact on the unborn child. rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) is a method where an electromagnetic coil is placed close to the head. Magnetic pulses will induce an electrical current in specific nerve cells, depending on how the coil is placed. Thousands of patients have been treated with rTMS to date, and the effect on depressive symptoms is well documented, although the exact mechanism of the effect is not yet fully understood. Of late, an alternative treatment regime called intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) has been developed. The treatment time per session for iTBS is much shorter than standard rTMS, which will render the treatment much more clinically acceptable. rTMS in pregnancy has not been extensively studied, but seems to have good effect and few side effects. Method: Pregnant women (N=60) with depressive symptoms will be assessed by a psychiatrist, and women fulfilling the criteria for a moderate-severe depressive episode can be included. Participants will be randomized to either active or sham treatment. Treatment will be administered during 20 days, once daily (4 minutes per session). A psychiatrist will assess depressive symptoms before, as well as 2 and 4 weeks after, treatment start. Women randomized to the sham treatment will, after the initial blind phase, be offered active treatment, following the same protocol as above. Women who have responded to the treatment, but are not in remission after the first four weeks will be offered an additional two weeks of iTBS treatment, in accordance with clinical protocol. Three, 6 and 12 months after the treatment is completed, all participants will be followed up via a web-based questionnaire. Apart from assessment of mood symptoms, treatment effects is also assessed using structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI will be performed once before treatment start, and once before at the very end of the blind phase of the study (four weeks). A random selection of the participating women will be invited to a sub-study and interviewed once during pregnancy as well as a second time 4-6 months postpartum. Questions will include inter alia their own description of being pregnant and depressed.