Assessing Anterior Cingulate Brain Activity in People With Late-Life Depression
Recruitment status was Recruiting
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Purpose
This study will examine differences in activity of the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain area involved in emotion and cognitive regulation, between older adults with and without depression.
| Condition | Intervention |
|---|---|
|
Depression |
Drug: Escitalopram |
| Study Type: | Observational |
| Study Design: | Observational Model: Case Control Time Perspective: Prospective |
| Official Title: | Anterior Cingulate Activation in Geriatric Depression |
- Cerebral activation, as measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) [ Time Frame: Measured once ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
| Estimated Enrollment: | 72 |
| Study Start Date: | July 2005 |
| Estimated Study Completion Date: | March 2011 |
| Estimated Primary Completion Date: | December 2010 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) |
| Groups/Cohorts | Assigned Interventions |
|---|---|
|
Depressed
Elderly participants with depression
|
Drug: Escitalopram
10 to 20 mg daily as part of another study in which participants are enrolled
Other Name: Lexapro
|
|
Control
Elderly participants who have never experienced depression
|
Detailed Description:
Older adults with depression often also suffer from executive dysfunction—problems with planning, impulse control, and reasoning. Executive dysfunction in older adults predicts poor or delayed response to antidepressant treatment and has been associated with early relapse and recurrence of late-life major depression. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a scan that can measure the activity of someone's brain while that person performs tasks. So far, no fMRI studies investigating cerebral activation patterns in late-life depression have been published. In this study, people will undergo fMRI while they are performing an executive function task. Older adults with late-life depression and older adults without depression will be tested and compared in order to identify the areas and patterns of brain activity underlying executive dysfunction in late-life depression.
Participation in this study will consist of one study visit, during which participants will undergo an fMRI scan that will last 60 to 90 minutes. While being scanned, participants will perform cognitive tasks that involve pressing buttons in response to words viewed on a screen.
Eligibility| Ages Eligible for Study: | 60 Years to 85 Years |
| Genders Eligible for Study: | Both |
| Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
| Sampling Method: | Non-Probability Sample |
Depressed and control participants are recruited from the community, with additional depressed participants recruited from a geriatric outpatient clinic at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College.
Inclusion Criteria for Depressed Participants:
- Diagnosis of major depression by DSM-IV criteria
- Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score greater than 24
- Severity score of 17 or higher on the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score (HDRS) during the index episode
- Residence less than a 45-minute drive from New York Hospital-Westchester Division
Exclusion Criteria for Depressed Participants:
- Presence of psychotic depression, as defined by Research Diagnostic Criteria and DSM-IV
- History of psychiatric disorders other than unipolar major depression (people with bipolar disorder and dysthymia will be excluded)
- Presence of dementing disorders
- Acute or severe medical illness, such as the following: delirium; metastatic cancer; decompensated cardiac, liver, or kidney failure; major surgery; or cerebrovascular accident or myocardial infarction 3 months prior to study entry
- Receiving drugs known to cause depression, including reserpine, alpha-methyl-dopa, and steroids
- Requires concomitant treatment with other psychotropics, including antipsychotic medications, lithium salts, stimulants, valproic acid, carbamazepine, or gabapentin
- Severe aphasia interfering with communication
- Contraindications to magnetic resonance (MR) scanning, such as implanted metal, claustrophobia, or weight greater than or equal to 300 lbs
Inclusion Criteria for Age-Matched Non-Psychiatric Comparison Sample:
- MMSE score greater than 24
Exclusion Criteria for Age-Matched Non-Psychiatric Comparison Sample:
- History of psychiatric disorder
- Presence of dementing disorders
- Acute or severe medical illness, such as the following: delirium; metastatic cancer; decompensated cardiac, liver, or kidney failure; major surgery; or cerebrovascular accident or myocardial infarction 3 months prior to study entry
- Receiving drugs known to cause depression, including reserpine, alpha-methyl-dopa, and steroids
- Current treatment with psychotropics
- Severe aphasia interfering with communication
- Contraindications to MR scanning, such as implanted metal, claustrophobia, or weight greater than or equal to 300 lbs
Contacts and Locations| Contact: Shizuko Morimoto, PsyD | 914-997-5413 | ssm9006@med.cornell.edu |
| United States, New York | |
| New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical College | Recruiting |
| White Plains, New York, United States, 10605 | |
| Contact: Shizuko Morimoto, PsyD 914-997-5413 ssm9006@med.cornell.edu | |
| Principal Investigator: Faith M. Gunning-Dixon, PhD | |
| Principal Investigator: | Faith M. Gunning-Dixon, PhD | Weill Medical College of Cornell University |
More Information
No publications provided
| Responsible Party: | Faith M. Gunning-Dixon, PhD, Weill Cornell Medical College |
| ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00926653 History of Changes |
| Other Study ID Numbers: | K23 MH074818, DATR AK-TNGP1 |
| Study First Received: | June 22, 2009 |
| Last Updated: | June 29, 2009 |
| Health Authority: | United States: Federal Government |
Keywords provided by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):
|
Geriatric Depression |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
|
Depression Depressive Disorder Behavioral Symptoms Mood Disorders Mental Disorders Dexetimide Citalopram Antiparkinson Agents Anti-Dyskinesia Agents Central Nervous System Agents Therapeutic Uses Pharmacologic Actions Parasympatholytics Autonomic Agents |
Peripheral Nervous System Agents Physiological Effects of Drugs Muscarinic Antagonists Cholinergic Antagonists Cholinergic Agents Neurotransmitter Agents Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation Antidepressive Agents Psychotropic Drugs Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors Serotonin Agents |
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 23, 2013