Active clinical trials for "Depressive Disorder, Major"

This is a study investigating the hormones and substances important to the stress response. The hormone that is most directly responsible for stress response is called corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). CRH is produced in the hypothalamus of the brain and causes the pituitary gland to produce another hormone called ACTH. The hormone ACTH then acts on the adrenal glands causing them to produce the hormone cortisol. Unfortunately, CRH levels are unable to be measured in simple blood samples. However, substances like cortisol and leptin can provide information as to the activity of the hypothalamus. The hormone leptin is associated with the regulation of body weight and the normal maintenance of bodily functions (homeostasis). It is found in fat cell (adipocyes) and communicates the nutritional status of the body to the brain (central nervous system). Research using animals has shown that defects in the communication between leptin and the brain causes obesity (the state of being overweight). It has also been noted that obese humans tend to have high levels of leptin. By studying patients with abnormal genes responsible for leptin production, researchers have found that a least one leptin gene must be intact for the normal secretion of hormones to proceed. These results show that the hormone leptin is produced outside of the brain in fat cells and acts directly on the function of the hypothalamus within the brain. Researchers believe that leptin plays a key role in the normal release of hormones from the HPA axis. Researchers intend on continuing to study the role of leptin in fat distribution, and the activity of the HPA axis in normal volunteers. In addition, this study will focus on the role of leptin in depression, because depression is characterized by changes in food intake, body weight, and neuroendocrine function. Data gathered from this study will provide a better understanding of the causes and medical consequences of major depression.

Electroconvulsive therapy is a safe and effective therapeutic strategy in patients with treatment resistant depression. As relapse after successful ECT is significant even with adequate pharmacological strategies, continuation (up to 6 months after completion of index-ECT) or maintenance ECT (more than 6 months after index-ECT) is often necessary to maintain remission. During the current Covid-19 pandemic hospitals redirected resources and closed or significantly diminished ECT services. In this study we aim to assess the impact of discontinuing maintenance electroconvulsive therapy in patients diagnosed with unipolar depressive disorder.

The aim of the present study is to compare an intervention consisting of Family Psychoeducation (FPE) to an active control intervention of social support for relatives of patients with a diagnosis of major depression.

The purpose of this study is to research the effects of ketamine on brain function in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). This study is an ancillary MRI neuroimaging study being conducted in patients with MDD who are enrolled in a separate clinical trial. Healthy control volunteers are also enrolled. No drug or other intervention is given as part of this protocol per se. To study brain activity related to emotion, the study team will use a technology called functional MRI (fMRI), which is a method for evaluating the flow of blood in the brain using a powerful magnet. fMRI does not involve exposure to radiation. Patients will be shown a sample of images on a computer screen designed to bring about an emotional reaction. The MRI machine will then take a number of pictures of your head. By computer analysis, this machine is able to create a picture of your brain's activity. There are several tasks during scanning that involve looking at various images that represent different emotions, and the study team will be monitoring brain activity during these tasks. Patients will be scanned before and 24 hours after receiving ketamine (as part of a separate study) to analyze treatments effects. These scans are compared to depressed patients who did not receive ketamine, as well as to healthy controls.

On 6 Feb 2014, Pristiq was approved for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder(MDD) in Korea. In accordance with the Standards for Re-examination of New Drug, it is required to conduct a PMS for 600 patients by 5 Feb 2020. Post marketing surveillance is required to determine any problems or questions associated with Pristiq after marketing, with regard to the following clauses under conditions of general clinical practice. Therefore, through this study, effectiveness and safety of pristiq will be observed.

The purpose of this study is to understand if there is a relationship between the way that emotions are regulated by the brain and the way that heart rate is regulated by the brain. The study also seeks to understand whether having depression changes the way that emotions and heart rate are regulated.

The current study will test the causal relationship between elevated levels of cortisol and the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) as these factors influence sensitivity to environmental threat. The investigators predict that carriers of the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene who have elevated cortisol levels will be most sensitive to threatening environments, whereas carriers of the long allele who do not have elevated cortisol (placebo subjects) will be least sensitive.

The purpose of this research is to understand if it is helpful for patients with mental illness to be connected to a psychiatrist and case manager at the time of cancer diagnosis.

The main purpose of this study is to determine whether electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) causes any structural or functional brain changes and thus indicating its mechanism of action. The second aim is to find predictors of an immediate response, sustained remission, relapse and side-effects. Thirdly, this study aims to explore whether ECT causes any changes in blood-brain barriers permeability and whether these changes correlate to memory problems. The fourth objective is to examine whether ECT causes any brain tissue damage.

TRAIT-RS is an observational study to evaluate ongoing treatment response stability to standard of care antidepressant treatments (ADTs) among individuals who met criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and completed the Tracking Response to Antidepressants in Advance of Investigational Trials (TRAIT) study (NCT04748276).