Reward Processing and Depressive Subtypes: Identifying Neural Biotypes

Depression Clinical Trial

Official title: Reward Processing and Depressive Subtypes: Identifying Neural Biotypes Related to Suicide Risk, Resilience, and Treatment Response

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

Deficits in motivation and pleasure are common in depression, and thought to be caused by alterations in the ways in which the brain anticipates, evaluates, and adaptively uses reward-related information. However, reward processing is a complex, multi-circuit phenomenon, and the precise neural mechanisms that contribute to the absence or reduction of pleasure and motivation are not well understood. Variation in the clinical presentation of depression has long been a rule rather than an exception, including individual variation in symptoms, severity, and treatment response. This heterogeneity complicates understanding of depression and thwarts progress toward disease classification and treatment planning. Discovery of depression-specific biomarkers that account for neurobiological variation that presumably underlies distinct clinical manifestations is critical to this larger effort.

Clinical Trial Description

This study combines clinically motivated questions with in-depth study of neurobiological mechanisms to evaluate how reward system neurobiology contributes to expression of reward-related deficits, such as decreased pleasure and motivation in major depressive disorder (MDD). Conceptually, the investigator will use a multi-measure approach, by studying basic brain responses to reward anticipation as well as higher-order aspects of reward processing necessary for decision-making.

Methodologically, the investigator will combine fMRI, EEG, and behavioral assessment, to more fully characterize reward-related brain functions and their clinical correlates. In addition to evaluating reward effects between MDD and healthy controls (HC), the investigator will also focus on understanding the relationship between reward processing and clinical features of high relevance to depression, with an emphasis on suicidality. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Anhedonia
• Depression
• Depressive Disorder
• Depressive Disorder, Major
• Depressive Symptoms
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Major Depressive Episode

• NCT number: NCT06080646
• Study type: Observational
• Source: San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
• Contact: Jason Hemmerle, MBA
• Phone: 415 221 4810
• Email: jason.hemmerle@ucsf.edu
• Status: Recruiting
• Start date: June 1, 2021
• Completion date: September 1, 2025