Search Results Within Category "Mental Health"
A Neurosteroid Intervention for Menopausal and Perimenopausal Depression
HYPOTHESIS: Pregnenolone administration will be associated with greater reduction in depressive symptom severity than placebo in women with current mMDD. STUDY AIMS: Primary Aim: Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater reduction in depressive symptom severity than placebo in women with mMDD, as measured by MADRS. Secondary Aims: 1. Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater reduction in anxiety symptom severity than placebo in women with mMDD. 2. Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater improvement in cognition than placebo in women with mMDD. 3. Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater improvement in quality of life than placebo in women with mMDD. 4. Determine if pregnenolone is associated with greater improvement in vasomotor symptoms of menopause than placebo. Mechanistic Aims: 1. Determine whether changes in neurosteroid levels with pregnenolone mediate clinical response. 2. Determine if baseline neurosteroid levels predict pregnenolone response. 3. Determine whether depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep or vasomotor symptoms improve first. A crossed-lagged panel model will explore serial correlations between changes in outcome measures.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Emine.Akar@UTSouthwestern.edu
• Women aged 40-67 years who are perimenopausal or early postmenopausal (within 5 years of the last menstrual period if not surgically postmenopausal), including:
• Women who have experienced changes in menstrual cycle frequency or duration, and/or physical symptoms indicative of menopausal transition, as determined by clinician
• Women who are using hormonal IUDs (i.e. brands Mirena and Skyla), with FSH level > 20 mIU/m (as menstrual periods are irregular with IUDs that utilize hormones, making irregular/absent periods difficult to assess as related to the menopausal transition).
• Women with significant menopause-related physical symptoms, indicated by any of the following criteria:
• Greene Climacteric Scale total scores > 20
• Greene Climacteric Scale sub-score for vasomotor symptoms >3
• 5 or more bothersome hot flashes per week (self-reported)
• Women meeting DSM-5 criteria for current major depressive disorder (assessed by the SCID)
• Baseline HRSD score of ≥ 18
• Subject agrees to abstain from disallowed medications for the duration of the trial
• Vulnerable populations (e.g. pregnant/nursing, severe cognitive or intellectual impairment, incarcerated)
• Pregnancy (determined by urine pregnancy test), intending pregnancy or breast feeding
• Psychiatric disorder other than MDD that is acute and the primary focus of symptom burden or treatment.
• History of bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
• Current substance use disorder
• Positive baseline urine drug screen of an illicit substance (in this study: opioids and cocaine,) with the exception of a medication used with a prescription (use of a detected substance that is used with a prescription, such as an opioid pain medication, is not necessarily exclusionary and will be based upon judgment of the PI, particularly in the cases of chronic opioid use). Participants who screen positive for marijuana will be offered a rescreen for eligibility at a later date.
• Current eating disorder
• Treatment resistant depression (failure of 2 adequate antidepressant trials or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) during current episode; adequate antidepressant trials are defined as within the US FDA approved dosage for the medication and used for at least 6 weeks, with failure described by the patient as <50% improvement based on her subjective experience).
• High risk for suicidal acts including active suicidal ideation with plan and intent or > 2 suicide attempts in lifetime or any attempt in the past 6 months
• Use of selective estrogen-receptor modulators (SERMs), hormone replacement therapy, hormonal contraceptives (hormonal IUDs allowed), episodic sleep medications (chronic, regular, stable-dose benzodiazepines and hypnotics such as zolpidem, Sonata (Zaleplon), and Lunesta (Eszopiclone) OR sleep-seating antihistamines such as Unisom (Doxylamine succinate) or diphenhydramine allowed) within 2 weeks of the baseline visit and randomization. Antidepressants will be allowed for those participants who have been taking the antidepressant for 6 weeks with a stable dose for at least 4 weeks.
• Use of natural menopause and depression supplements, phytoestrogens, soy-based medications, steroids within 2 weeks of baseline visit and randomization.
• Use of any disallowed medications (specified in the Excluded Concomitant Medication section below).
• Women who have received a gonadal hormonal intervention within 1 month prior to study entry (stable thyroid medications are allowed).
• Not using a medically approved method of birth control, if sexually active and not 12 or more months since last menstrual period IUDs, condoms, abstinence are acceptable forms of contraception in this study; due to the possible interactions with the study medication, oral contraceptive pills will be prohibited.
• Uncontrolled hypertension (>160/95mmHg)
• Active coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or blood clotting disorder
• Any severe, life threatening or unstable medical condition that, based on clinician-judgment, would make participation in the study unsafe or inappropriate
• Personal or first degree family history of known hormone sensitive tumors
• History of allergic reaction or side effects with prior pregnenolone use
• Clinically significant laboratory or physical examination findings
• Concurrent enrollment in another clinical trial Exclusion of Concomitant Medications:
• Selective estrogen-receptor modulators (SERMs)
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Hormonal contraceptives, excluding Mirena IUD or other IUD with localized progesterone
• Natural menopause or antidepressant supplements
• Episodic sleep medications (chronic, regular, stable-dose benzodiazepines and hypnotics such as zolpidem, Sonata (Zaleplon), and Lunesta (Eszopiclone) OR sleep-sedating antihistamines such as Unisom (Doxylamine succinate) or diphenhydramine allowed)
• Sub-therapeutic dosages of antidepressants used for other indications will be permissible with the exclusion of SSRIs, SNRIs, and Wellbutrin.
• Phytoestrogens
• Soy-based medications or supplements
Resilience in Adolescent Development (RAD)
The RAD study is a longitudinal study to prospectively characterize the biological mechanisms of resilience in adolescents and young adults at risk for developing depression. The study will capture biomarkers from the domains of socio-demographic and clinical data, cognitive and psychological assessments, fluid-based biomarkers, neuroimaging and EEG. Such biomarkers will compose a human biosignature of resilience and identify risk factors for depression, contributing to effective treatment selection or may represent moderators of response or non-response to treatments in subjects with depression. A cohort of 1,500 participants, age 10-24 will be recruited over a 5 year period. Participants will be followed for 10 years following an initial baseline visit. Study visits are conducted 4 times per year.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Yara.Alarcon-Furman@UTSouthwestern.edu
• Adolescents and young adults aged 10-24, male and female of all races and ethnicity.
• Participants must be English-speaking (because several study assessments are only available in the English language), however the parent(s) or legal guardian may either speak English or Spanish as the consenting process can be conducted bilingually.
• Adults age 18 and older must be able to provide written informed consent; for youth younger than age 18, a parent or legal guardian must provide written informed consent, and the child or teen must provide written informed assent.
• Ability to complete clinical evaluations and neuropsychological testing.
• Individuals who are unable to provide informed consent.
• Participants who are non-English speaking.
• Individuals with any of the following psychotic features: MDD with psychotic features, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or other Axis I psychotic disorder.
• Individuals with a depression diagnosis or a history of depression diagnosis at the initial visit (participants who develop depression during the longitudinal follow-up will continue in the study).
• A PHQ-9 score of 10 or greater.
• Individuals who are unable to provide a permanent home address and contact information.
• Individuals with any condition for which, in the opinion of the investigator, study participation would not be in their best interest (e.g., compromise their well-being) or that could prevent, limit, or confound the protocol-specified assessments.
Dallas 2K: A Natural History Study of Depression (D2K)
The Dallas 2K is a 10-year natural history, longitudinal, prospective study of a cohort of 2,000 participants that will help uncover the socio-demographic, lifestyle, clinical, psychological and neurobiological factors that contribute to anti-depressant treatment response: remission, recurrence, relapse and individual outcomes in depressive disorders. Hence, the expected duration of this study is 20 years in length. Since this is an observational study, investigators will explore a comprehensive panel of carefully selected participant specific parameters: socio-demographic (age, ethnicity, economic); lifestyle (physical activity, substance use); clinical (medical history, anxious depression, early life trauma), biological (biomarkers in blood, saliva, urine), behavioral (cognitive, emotional), neurophysiological (EEG), and neuroimaging (structural, functional brain circuitry) with the goal to develop the most robust predictive models of treatment response and of depression outcomes. There is no medication or non-medication treatment or intervention provided by this study. Subjects will have elevated symptomatology of nonpsychotic chronic or recurrent depressive disorder and will be currently receiving or will be prescribed standard of care medication or non-medication based treatments by their providers/clinicians. The study cohort will reflect the wide range of patients seen in typical primary or psychiatric care settings, and may include unipolar or bipolar disorders and dysthymia (a more chronic form of depression). The cohort will be broadly representative of and generalizable to the US general population as a whole.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Yara.Alarcon-Furman@UTSouthwestern.edu
• Male and female adult or youth aged 10 and older of any race or ethnicity.
• Ability to speak, read, and understand English. However, the parent(s) or legal guardians of minors may either speak English or Spanish as the consenting process can be conducted bilingually.
• A lifetime or a current diagnosis of a mood disorder based upon a semi-structured diagnostic interview.
• Adults age 18 and older must be able to provide written informed consent; for youth younger than age 18, a parent or legal guardian must provide written informed consent, and the child or teen must provide written informed assent. Eligibility for Healthy Controls For comparison purposes, potential health control participants who do NOT have a psychiatric diagnosis will be enrolled as part of the healthy control arm of this study.
• Male and female adult or youth aged 10 and older of any race or ethnicity.
• Ability to speak, read, and understand English. However, the parent(s) or legal guardians of minors may either speak English or Spanish as the consenting process can be conducted bilingually.
• Adults age 18 and older must be able to provide written informed consent; for youth younger than age 18, a parent or legal guardian must provide written informed consent, and the child or teen must provide written informed assent. Criteria for Exclusion of Participants A potential participant will NOT be eligible for participation in this study if any of the following criteria are met:
• History of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorders or chronic psychotic disorders based upon a semi-structured diagnostic interview.
• Diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or hepatitis B or C (human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing is not required for this study).
• Unable to provide a stable home address and contact information.
• Has any condition for which, in the opinion of the investigator or designee, study participation would not be in their best interest (including but not limited to cognitive impairment, unstable general medical condition, intoxication, active psychosis) or that could prevent, limit, or confound the protocol-specified assessments.
• Requires immediate hospitalization for psychiatric disorder or suicidal risk as assessed by a licensed study clinician. Eligibility for Healthy Controls A potential Healthy Control participant will NOT be eligible for participation in this study if any of the following criteria are met:
• A lifetime or a current history of a mood disorder based upon a semi-structured diagnostic interview.
• Meets any exclusion criteria as part of the main D2K study interview.
Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Adjunctive NBI-1065845 in Adults With Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (SAVITRI)
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of NBI-1065845 compared with placebo used in addition to oral antidepressants in adults with MDD on improving symptoms of depression.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Elizabeth.Dedrick@UTSouthwestern.edu
• The subject has completed written informed consent.
• At the time of signing the informed consent, subject must be 18 to 65 years of age, inclusive.
• The subject has a primary diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), without psychotic features, meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) criteria.
• Subject must have had inadequate response to antidepressant treatment.
• Subject is currently on stable pharmacological treatment for depression.
• Subject must have a total Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 Item (HAMD17) score ≥ 22 at screening.
• Subjects must have been taking current antidepressant medication(s) for ≥ 8 weeks.
• Subjects must be willing to comply with all study procedures and restrictions.
• Subject is pregnant or breastfeeding.
• Subject has an unstable medical condition or chronic disease.
• Subject has a history of neurological abnormalities.
• Subject is currently diagnosed with or prior diagnoses of psychiatric disorder which was the primary focus of treatment other than MDD.
• The subject's depressive symptoms have previously demonstrated nonresponse to an adequate course of treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
• The subject has an alcohol or substance use disorder.
• In the Investigator's opinion, the subject is not capable of adhering to the protocol requirements.
A Prospective, Multi-center, Randomized Controlled Blinded Trial Demonstrating the Safety and Effectiveness of VNS Therapy® System as Adjunctive Therapy Versus a No Stimulation Control in Subjects With Treatment-Resistant Depression (RECOVER)
Objectives of this study are to determine whether active VNS Therapy treatment is superior to a no stimulation control in producing a reduction in baseline depressive symptom severity, based on multiple depression scale assessment tools at 12 months from randomization.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Hila.AbushSegev@UTSouthwestern.edu
Developing an Intervention to Promote Lethal Means Safety in Suicidal Adolescents
Study Objective: to develop a phone-based intervention to aid parents of suicidal adolescents to adhere to lethal means safety. Lethal means counseling is the practice of educating patients and their families about limiting access to items that can be used to attempt suicide. Though lethal means counseling is standard practice in treating suicidal patients, there is little experimental literature related to its utilization across different providers and its efficacy. Further, there is a significant gap in the literature on lethal means counseling as it relates to adolescents. The proposed project will investigate a novel text message-based intervention aimed to promote lethal means safety.
Call 214-648-5005
studyfinder@utsouthwestern.edu, Rebecca.Wildman@UTSouthwestern.edu
• Proficiency in spoken and written English
• Own cell phone that has internet capabilities
• Adolescent participants are patient's at Children's Health SPARC IOP (ages 12-17)
• Adult participants are parents and/or legal guardians of adolescent participants (ages 18+)
• Non-English speaking