Active clinical trials for "Depressive Disorder"

The purpose of this research study is to learn more about cognitive deficits in people with certain mood disorders. The mood disorders are Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Bipolar disorder, depressed type. Cognitive deficits are problems with things like thinking and memory. People with cognitive deficits may have problems concentrating and paying attention. When talking, they may have trouble recalling a word they want to say. They may think slowly and have problems remembering things. These deficits can affect an individual's ability to work and function socially. Cognitive deficits that occur with depression may increase the risk of a relapse of major depressive disorder. We want to study the course of cognitive impairment in subjects as they are receiving treatment for their depression. We want to find out if their cognitive deficits get better, worse, or stay the same. We also want to learn more about a stress hormone called cortisol that is produced in the body. We want to study the relationship between cortisol and cognitive impairment. Recent research has shown that cognitive impairment may be more severe in people who have high levels of cortisol in their blood. We will also measure the levels of a protein in your blood called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF helps the growth of new brain cells. It appears that the growth of new brain cells lessens when people are depressed. Treatment with antidepressant medications may cause BDNF levels to increase and return to normal. We are interested in studying the relationship between BDNF levels and cognitive impairment throughout treatment.

The purpose of this study is: to find out the structural or functional effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) in major depressive disorder (MDD); find special abnormalities in depression secondary to other disease, e.g., autoimmune disease like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). find the relationship between the efficacy of antidepressant and the change of neuroimaging in MDD to find possible predispose to MDD to explore the DNA methylation status in depression;

The primary purpose of this study is to test the safety and tolerability of single ascending doses of Desvenlafaxine Succinate Sustained-Release (DVS SR) in both child and adolescent outpatients with major depressive disorder. This study will also characterize the pharmacokinetic profile of DVS SR in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder.

The specific primary aims of the study are to: Test the immediate effect of the intervention at 4-months on depression in urban African American older adults (primary trial outcome; between group comparison). Hypothesis: Participants in the intervention group will report fewer depressive symptoms in comparison to control group participants receiving usual care. Test the maintenance effect of the intervention at 8-months on depression (within group comparison). Hypothesis: Participants in the intervention group will maintain reduced symptom presentation from 4 to 8 months. Evaluate acceptability (social validity) of the intervention and extent of engagement in activities by study participants (both intervention and wait-list control subjects). A secondary aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial embedded in a community service setting and its dissemination using a community-academic partnership. We also propose three exploratory aims. First, we seek to evaluate the mechanisms of action, or pathways, by which treatment gains are obtained (Gitlin et al., 2000). Given that behavioral activation represents conceptually the key active ingredient of the proposed intervention, we plan to evaluate its mediational effect. Second, we seek to evaluate whether the intervention has a differential treatment effect based on a study participant's gender, age, and living arrangement (alone or with others). Given that previous research suggests that participant characteristics may moderate depressive symptoms and treatment outcomes, these exploratory analyses will provide insight as to whether this particular treatment benefits some groups more than others. Third, we seek to evaluate whether the intervention has short and long-term effects on quality of life, functional difficulty, and self-efficacy to manage day-to-day tasks. Previous research has shown that depressive symptoms exacerbate functional decline such that minimizing distress may have the added value of enhancing function and perceived efficacy for this group over time.

RATIONALE: Antidepressants such as sertraline and the herb hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) may be effective in treating mild to moderate depression. It is not yet known which treatment is more effective in improving depression in patients who have cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying how well sertraline works compared to St. John's wort in treating mild to moderate depression in patients with solid tumors.

To evaluate the overall safety and tolerability profile of two dose levels of DVS-233 SR during 6 months of open-label treatment in elderly outpatients with major depressive disorder.

This study aims to adapt and pilot test two core elements of an organized care program (systematic telephone outreach and monitoring to improve quality and continuity of pharmacotherapy, and structured psychoeducational group programs focused on patient activation and self-management) in a population-based sample of patients with chronic or recurrent depression.

Depression is the leading cause of disability globally (1, 2). One-third to one-half of patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) do not achieve remission even after multiple antidepressant trials (3). Ketamine is a commonly-used FDA-approved anesthetic medication that at subanesthetic doses leads to rapid antidepressant and anti-suicidal ideation effects in hours, rather than weeks, following administration. Despite these promising findings, a key limitation of ketamine treatment is that it only yields an antidepressant response in approximately 50% of those treated. The goal of this project is to A) elucidate ketamine's mechanism of action and B) identify biomarkers predicting treatment outcome to ketamine which could be used to match patients to treatment based on the likelihood of effectiveness at the individual level. Data from animal models suggests that ketamine acts by enhancing the connections between neurons through a process known as synaptic plasticity (4-7), and that these biological changes are responsible for the sustained behavioral effects of ketamine (8). A newly available tool allows us to image the density of these synaptic connections in the living brain using PET (positron emission tomography) imaging with a radiotracer called [11C]UCB-J, which is a marker of synaptic density. We propose to directly quantify synaptic density in depressed patients before and after a course of ketamine, to examine changes in density following treatment. In exploratory analyses, we will examine synaptic density as a mediator of the sustained antidepressant effects of ketamine and as a predictor of treatment outcome. To study these questions, we will quantify synaptic density using PET imaging before and after a course of 4 sequential intravenous infusions of ketamine administered over a two week period. Study participation involves an inpatient stay of approximately three weeks at the New York State Psychiatric Institute at no cost.

The purpose of this research study is to use a specific type of non-invasive brain stimulation known as transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to determine its effects on brain activity (measured with EEG) and mood in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

This is not a treatment study. In this study, the researchers are primarily interested in examining whether functional MRI (fMRI)-guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may be more effective than traditional TMS methods at temporarily influencing neural circuit communication. The investigators test this by combining TMS and fMRI technologies to probe and modulate brain activity. If the novel fMRI-guided TMS stimulation used in this study is more effective than traditional methods, future studies may utilize similar personalized TMS targeting methods to yield even better clinical outcomes.