View clinical trials related to Mood Disorders.
Filter by:This study will investigate how the brain process emotions in healthy people and in patients who have major depression in order to better understand the causes of depression. It will examine what happens in the brain when a person responds to words related to different emotions while the brain's ability to manufacture a chemical called serotonin is reduced. Serotonin regulates functions such as emotion, anxiety and sleep, and stress hormones such as cortisol. In this study, participants' serotonin levels are reduced by depleting tryptophan, an amino acid that is the main building block for serotonin. Healthy volunteers and patients with major depression that has been in remission for at least 3 months may be eligible for this study. Candidates must be between 18 and 50 years of age and right-handed. They are interviewed about their medical and psychiatric history, current emotional state and sleep pattern, and family history of psychiatric disorders. Screening also includes psychiatric interviews and rating scales, neuropsychological tests, physical examination, electrocardiogram (EKG), and blood, urine, and saliva tests. Women have their menstrual phase determined by a blood test and home urine ovulation test kit. The study involves two clinic visits in which participants undergo tryptophan depletion and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Subjects arrive at the NIH Clinical Center in the morning after fasting overnight. They fill out questionnaires have a blood sample drawn, and then take 74 capsules that contain a mixture of amino acids found in the diet. At one visit they are given capsules that contain a balanced mixture of amino acids one would normally eat in a day; at the other visit, some of the capsules contain lactose instead of tryptophan, causing tryptophan depletion. At 2 p.m. participants fill out the same questionnaires they completed at the beginning of the day and have another blood sample drawn. Then they do a computerized test in the MRI scanner. MRI uses a magnet and radio waves to obtain pictures of the brain. For the test, subjects lie on a narrow bed that slides into the cylindrical MRI scanner. They are asked to press a button in response to words associated with different emotions that appear on a screen. Arterial spin labeling - a test that uses magnetism to measure blood flow in different areas of the brain-is also done during the procedure. After the scan, subjects eat a meal and then return home. DNA from the participants' blood samples is also examined to try to better understand the genetic causes of depression. Some of the white cells from the samples may also be grown in the laboratory so that additional studies can be done later. ...
Depressive disorders may be severe, chronic and often life-threatening illnesses. Impairment in physical and social functioning resulting from depression can be just as severe as other chronic medical illnesses. Recent preclinical and clinical studies suggest that the glutamatergic system is involved in the mechanism of action of antidepressants. This study examines whether ketamine can cause a rapid-next day antidepressant effect in patients with Major Depressive Disorder. This study was designed to address the questions: Does the NMDA antagonist ketamine produce rapid antidepressant effects in patients with treatment-resistant major depression? What are the neurobiological correlates of antidepressant response (examining multi-modal MRI, MEG, polysomnography and serum markers) Patients, ages 18 to 65 years with treatment-resistant major (unipolar) depression will in a double-blind crossover study receive either intravenous ketamine or saline solution.
This study will explore the effects of dutasteride on mood and the stress response across the menstrual cycle. Dutasteride blocks production of neurosteroids-hormones that help regulate the stress response systems. These systems may be disturbed in women with menstrually related mood disorders (MRMD). The effects of the drug will be compared in women with and without MRMD to determine how neurosteroids regulate mood and the stress response across the menstrual cycle. Dutasteride is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (excess growth of the prostate gland) in men. Menstruating women 30 to 45 years of age with and without MRMD may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical and psychiatric history, physical examination, screening for symptoms of depression, and routine blood and urine tests. Participants are required to use barrier contraception (condoms or diaphragm) during the 3-month study and 6-month follow-up. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: - Dutasteride or placebo treatment: Participants receive 1 month of dutasteride and 2 months of placebo. Neither the participants nor the investigators know when the subject is taking the active medication or the placebo. - Biweekly follow-up visits: Every 2 weeks during the 3-month treatment period, patients come to the NIH Clinical Center to have blood drawn and to complete mood symptoms ratings. - Monthly follow-up visits: Participants return to the Clinical Center once a month for 6 months after the end of the treatment period to monitor hormone levels and pregnancy status.
This study will assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating seasonal affective disorder (SAD), commonly called the "winter blues."
This study will examine how depression, anxiety, and migraine run in families. It will help in defining the risk factors for physical, mental, and health problems-as well as define ways that those problems may be prevented and treated. A broad range of ages among family members will be included to evaluate the patterns of how these disorders are expressed throughout people's lives. Children of all ages will be included, and those ages 8 to 17 will be interviewed directly. Assessments will be collected through criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV as well as the spectrum, or range, of mood disorders and co-existing conditions. A member of the study team will visit the participants at home or will do an interview by telephone. Participation will take approximately 3 to 4 hours. Children will complete questionnaires given by the research team as well as questionnaires that they will do by themselves. The questions will pertain to the children's health, including physical and mental health and medical history, social relationships, problems, skills, and ways of dealing with important or stressful issues in their lives. These questionnaires will take up to 1 hour to complete. Health history gathered from adult participants will pertain to height, weight, exercise, and general function. Women will be asked about the use of oral contraceptives, estrogen, and progesterone. In addition, there will be questionnaires on personality and temperamental traits, that is, behavior and impulsiveness. Questions will also involve social intuition, family and other environmental factors, general functioning, and basic demographics such as ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, marital status, education level, and employment history. Families enrolled in this phase of the research will be invited to participate in the next phase. There would be follow-up to evaluate the development of mood disorders, subtypes, and syndromes across the lifespan.
A placebo controlled study evaluating the effectiveness of medication in preventing winter depressive episodes in patients with a history of Seasonal Affective Disorder
This study looks at the role of a specific brain chemical system in the mood and attention symptoms seen in major depression and bipolar disorders using functional brain imaging.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a Multifamily Psychoeducation Group for the families of children with mood disorders.
A Placebo Controlled Study Evaluating The Effectivess Of Medication In Preventing Seasonal Affective Disorder
This is a placebo controlled study evaluating the effectiveness of medication in preventing depressive episodes in subjects with a history of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).