Active clinical trials for "Depression"

The purpose of this study is to use brain imaging technology to examine the role of certain brain receptors and the nervous system chemical acetylcholine in major depression. The cholinergic system involves the regulation of neurotransmitters and the brain receptors to which they bind. Evidence suggests that the cholinergic system may play a role in the development of depression. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that binds to certain brain receptors called muscarinic cholinergic receptors. Cholinomimetic drugs (drugs that stimulate the cholinergic system) often exacerbate depressive symptoms in people with mood disorders and in healthy individuals. This increase in depressive symptoms may be caused by stimulation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), but further study is needed to confirm this. This study will use positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study the function of mAChRs in individuals with depression. Participants in this study will undergo a physical examination, psychiatric interviews, neuropsychological tests, PET and MRI scans, and rating scales of depression, anxiety, and negative thinking symptoms. Questions about behavior and functioning will be asked and blood samples will be collected for genetic analysis.

This study will examine therapeutic and adverse effects of continuing versus discontinuing antidepressant medication in nursing home residents who have had no more than a single episode of depression and who no longer have depressive symptoms.

This study will examine how depression may influence the way the brain regulates heart function. Some researchers believe that depression may be a risk factor for some forms of heart disease. Right-handed healthy volunteers and patients with major depressive disorder who are between 18 and 50 years of age may be eligible for this study. Female candidates must be premenopausal. Patients must currently be experiencing a major depressive episode. All candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, electrocardiogram, and blood and urine tests. They are interviewed about their psychiatric and medical history, current emotional state and sleep pattern, and family history of psychiatric disorders. They complete symptoms ratings scales for depression, anxiety, and negative thinking; history of alcohol and tobacco use; level of physical activity; socioeconomic status; overall level of functioning; and, for depressed patients, their depression type. Women candidates have their menstrual phase determined by the timing of their recent menstrual cycles and may undergo testing to determine the time of their ovulation. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: 12-minute walk/run test - This test measures the subject's general level of cardiorespiratory fitness. In a gymnasium in the NIH Clinical Center, the subject walks or runs as far as he or she can in 12 minutes. Blood pressure is measured before and after the exercise test, and heart rate is measured during exercise with a monitor worn around the chest. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - A brain MRI scan is done to obtain pictures of the brain anatomy. Electrocardiogram leads are placed on the subject's chest to measure the electrical activity of the heart during the scanning session. The subject lies on a narrow bed in the scanner, which is a narrow metal cylinder about 6 feet long. The scanning session takes up to 90 minutes. Positron emission tomography (PET) - PET scanning produces images of the brain's blood flow. The subject is injected with a radiotracer (small amount of drug labeled with a radioactive substance) that is detected by a special camera to trace blood flow. During the scanning session, the subject lies still on a table. EKG leas are placed on the subject's chest to measure the electrical activity of the heart during the scan. A mask with holes for the eyes, ears, and mouth is placed over the subject's face to keep the head f...

This study evaluates the effects on mood when stopping estrogen replacement therapy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of estrogen levels on perimenopausal depression. This study will examine short-term withdrawal of estrogen in women whose mood had improved with estrogen therapy. Perimenopause-related mood disorders cause significant distress in a large number of women. Evidence suggests that estradiol may have beneficial effects in women with perimenopausal depression. However, the effect of declining estradiol secretion during perimenopause has not been fully examined. Peri- and post-menopausal women who experience a remission of perimenopause-related depression symptoms while on estrogen therapy and a control group of healthy volunteers on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will be switched from their current form of HRT to estradiol for a 3-week period; volunteers will also complete symptom ratings to confirm the absence of mood symptoms. Participants will then be randomly assigned to either continue estradiol or take a placebo (an inactive pill) for an additional 3 weeks. Mood ratings will be used to determine response to estradiol withdrawal. ...

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is an NIH Roadmap initiative to develop a computerized system measuring patient-reported outcomes in respondents with a wide range of chronic diseases and demographic characteristics. In the first four years of its existence, the PROMIS network developed item banks for measuring patient-reported outcomes in the areas of pain, fatigue, emotional distress, physical function, and social functioning. During the item banking process, the PROMIS network conducted focus groups, individual cognitive interviews, and lexile (reading level) analyses to refine the meaning, clarity, and literacy demands of all items. The item banks were administered to over 20,000 respondents and calibrated using models based on item response theory (IRT). Using these IRT calibrations, computerized adaptive test (CAT) algorithms were developed and implemented. The network has designed a series of studies using clinical populations to evaluate the item attributes, examine their utility as CATs, and validate the item banks. More information on the PROMIS network can be found at www.nihpromis.org.

Shared decision-making (SDM), in contrast to traditional medical decision-making, involves a collaborative process where patients discuss personal values and preferences and clinicians provide information to arrive at an agreed upon treatment decision. The proposed study will evaluate the impact of a brief SDM nursing intervention among elderly, depressed primary care patient subjects in comparison to physician recommended Usual Care. The focus of the SDM intervention is to empower depressed patients and help them arrive at a treatment decision that can be successfully carried out.

This study will examine brain responses associated with reinforcement and reward tasks in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD).

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of postnatal depression screening by comparing the mental health outcome (at 6 months postpartum) of mothers under the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) screening programme versus usual clinical practice (usual practice), using randomized controlled trial design. With the use of the EPDS for the screening of postnatal depression, it is expected that more mothers in need of intervention (including mental health intervention, guidance in childcare and parenting, counseling in family relationships, etc) will be picked up and offered appropriate intervention, compared to the usual practice. It is hypothesized that the mental health of the group of women under the EPDS screening programme will be better than those under the usual practice, on subsequent follow-up.

The purpose of this study is to identify predictors and associated biochemical markers of interferon-induced depression. It is hypothesized that genetic variation in genes related to the serotonergic system may predict vulnerability to interferon-induced depression.

The purpose of this study is to find out how well new treatment plans are followed by outpatients with major mental illnesses (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, personality disorder) and to determine the relationship between a diagnosis of schizophrenia and compliance with a treatment plan.