Active clinical trials for "Depression"

The purpose of this study is to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) that provides the feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy data required to design a large scale trial evaluating Tai Chi for Chinese Americans with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are not on antidepressant medications.

The proposed study is a 1-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, trial to evaluate the efficacy of an IV infusion of magnesium sulfate on symptoms of treatment resistant mild and moderate depression in 20 males and females (21-70 years of age). Participants will be assessed at screening/baseline, day 1, day 2, day 7, and day 8. Each subject will be randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive either IV infusion of magnesium sulfate or 5% dextrose followed by a washout period of 5 days then crossover to receive either IV infusion of 5% dextrose or magnesium sulfate.

Safety and Efficacy of Vilazodone in Major Depressive Disorder

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of esketamine compared with placebo in improving symptoms of depression in patients with treatment resistant depression.

This research study will examine whether elderly depressed patients whose depressive symptoms do not respond satisfactorily to therapy with a mood stabilizer or antidepressant alone gain any benefit from taking minocycline alone or in addition to their antidepressant or mood stabilizer medication. Minocycline is a commonly used antibiotic medication with anti-inflammatory properties. It is hoped that information gained from this study will help the investigators better understand the role of inflammation in depression, and whether decreasing inflammation will lead to improvement in the symptoms of depression and cognitive function.

Patients presenting with depression (DEP) and cognitive impairment (CI), represent a unique, understudied population that is difficult to diagnose, treat and estimate prognosis. Our pilot data, supported by the literature, suggest that many DEP-CI patients show cognitive decline and often convert to dementia, primarily Alzheimer's disease (AD). In DEP-CI, there is a lack of data on treatment response of mood symptoms to antidepressant treatment and particularly of cognitive deficits to cognitive enhancer treatment. Our initial pilot data in a double-blind study showed that donepezil was superior to placebo in improving memory in antidepressant-treated DEP-CI patients. In a second pilot study, open label es-citalopram plus memantine treatment led to a low rate of conversion to dementia. In this proposed pilot clinical trial, the investigators will evaluate, treat and follow a broad sample of 80 DEP-CI patients at NYSPI/Columbia University Medical Center (N = 40) and Duke University Medical Center (N = 40). Recruitment will be from clinics and/or advertisements. In the treatment protocol, all 80 DEP-CI patients will receive baseline mood and memory assessments and open antidepressant treatment with citalopram for 8 weeks. At 8 weeks, repeat assessment will occur and patients whose depression has responded to citalopram will be randomized to add-on donepezil or placebo. Non-responders to citalopram will receive open treatment with venlafaxine and will be randomized 8 weeks later (16 weeks of open antidepressant treatment) to add-on donepezil or placebo. Patients will be followed for a total period of 18 months with continuous open antidepressant treatment during the trial. Donepezil is being studied in order to increase the likelihood of obtaining a signal. If the results are positive, the investigators can begin clarifying the mechanism(s) in subsequent trials. Baseline apolipoprotein E e4 genotype, odor identification deficits, and MRI hippocampal and entorhinal cortex atrophy will be explored as predictors of donepezil response in the 18-month trial. Improving cognition and delaying conversion to a clinical diagnosis of dementia in this high risk group will enhance quality of life, reduce family burden, and markedly diminish overall health care costs.

This study is looking at the safety and efficacy of low field magnetic stimulation (LFMS) for treating patients with treatment resistant depression who are taking an antidepressant that is not working for them.

The purpose of this research study is to examine whether a one-day group workshop, integrating principles from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Migraine Education, will result in improvements in depressive symptoms and functioning impairment in patients with comorbid migraine and depression.

Transcranial direct cranial stimulation (tDCS) is a novel technique based on the application of a weak electrical current over the scalp through two electrodes - the anode, which facilitates neuronal depolarization, and the cathode, which leads to neuronal hyper-polarization. Recently, several open-label and sham-controlled clinical trials applied daily tDCS sessions for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Theoretically, tDCS displays depression improvement through anodal stimulation over the left dorsolateral prefrontal, inducing excitability-enhancing effects over this area, which is hypoactive during the acute depressive episode. The present study is aimed at comparing two different tDCS protocols: (1) active anodic stimulation over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with cathode placed over an extra cephalic area; (2) active cathode placed over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with anode placed over an extra cephalic area.

Existing drug and talking therapies for major depressive disorder (MDD) fail to produce complete recovery. This study will determine if substantial improvements to one of the most promising therapies, cognitive therapy (CT), can be achieved by administering a carefully designed procedure to improve memory for the content of CT sessions. This is important because (a) memory deficits are common in MDD patients and (b) each CT therapy session typically covers a complex array of topics and various skills are taught.