View clinical trials related to Major Depressive Disorder.
Filter by:A study in patients with depression
This study employs functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare brain activation patterns during a depressive episode in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and a group of healthy control subjects. Depressed patients will be treated with a combination of fluoxetine and olanzapine and undergo MRI scans before, during, and after pharmacotherapy.
Objectives: This prospective investigation will compare premenopausal, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women's response to antidepressant medication. The effects of the menstrual cycle on the symptoms of depression and antidepressant response will also be examined. Hypotheses: Premenopausal women will show a significantly better response to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) than peri- or postmenopausal women. Premenopausal women during lower estrogen phases of the menstrual cycle will complain of increased depressive symptoms despite treatment. Perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with irregular periods and generally low estrogen levels will show less symptom variability over time. Method Subjects: Eighty-four women (28 premenopausal, 28 perimenopausal, 28 postmenopausal) meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria for major depressive disorder will be enrolled in the study. Procedure: All the subjects will be followed prospectively for 12 weeks and through 2 menstrual cycles while receiving treatment with a standard SSRI antidepressant agent. All eligible women will have a structured clinical interview and will complete questionnaires assessing their depressive symptoms. Blood samples will be collected to evaluate for reproductive hormone levels during the late follicular, midluteal and late luteal phases of the menstrual cycle for two consecutive cycles. Serum SSRI levels will also be collected at these times. As the women in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal groups either have irregular menstrual cycles or no longer cycle, they will have blood samples drawn at baseline and on 6 other occasions. Research Implications: As the majority of psychiatric medication is prescribed to women, understanding the interplay between the menstrual cycle and antidepressant medication will ultimately translate into more diverse and improved patient care. The proposed study is one within a developing research program, which will in part be further guided by this study.
This is a randomized, double-blind, active control, 8-week, flexible dose study of sertraline vs. venlafaxine Extended Release in the acute treatment of Major Depression in male and female outpatient sites that will recruit 15-20 patients each. Subjects will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either sertraline or venlafaxine XR based on a computer-generated randomized list.
The purpose of this is to determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of sertraline in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who have shown inadequate response ot escitalopram.
The study will involve a 3-week (15 session) randomized double-blind clinical trial of two repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) conditions in patients with treatment resistant depression. rTMS site selection will be localized from structural MRI scans. The patients will be randomized to one of two conditions 1. rTMS targeted to the border of Brodmann area 46 and Brodmann area 9, 2. rTMS targeted to premotor cortex (this condition will act as the non-dorsolateral prefrontal cortex targeted control).
The purpose of this study is to assist in understanding the most effective parameters for TMS in Depressive Disorders. Most research conducted has used high frequency stimulation on the left hemisphere.However, low frequency on the right hemisphere has also been shown to have antidepressant properties and appears to be better tolerated. A promising approach to improve responses to rTMS may be to combine high and low frequency stimulation where they are both applied to the right side of the brain. In this approach, high frequency stimulation is provided first which may 'prime' or pre-prepare the brain for low frequency stimulation in a way that enhances its response. Participants are randomised to receive active or placebo priming stimulation.If participants do not respond to this treatment condition after 10 sessions applied over a two week period they will be offered 10 session of high frequency left sided TMS treatment. Alternatively, if participants respond favorably they may continue with that treatment condition for another 10 sessions.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the use of an antidepressant (escitalopram) can prevent depressive episodes that appear during the treatment with peg-interferon and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Men and women who have suffered sexual and/or physical abuse before the age of 12 are at increased risk for anxiety and mood disorders, other serious psychiatric disorders, and likely medical illnesses. What is not known is whether adult survivors of childhood adversity experience heightened negative emotions and increased physical responses due to altered norepinephrine or serotonin systems in their brains and bodies. The investigators expect to see that survivors of childhood adversity experience heightened negative emotions and increased physical responses to stress.
The purpose of the study is to try to see if antidepressant medications cause changes in QEEG measurements in the brain. QEEG is a mathematical analysis of electrical currents in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp. Previous studies have shown that mood improvement (clinical response) caused by antidepressant medications was preceded by changes in QEEG measurements in the brain.