A Study of Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression Based on Biological Evidence of Dopamine Reward Pathway
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2019-12-30
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
This study will recruit depressed patients unresponsive to selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitor antidepressant treatment, first-degree relatives (parents or siblings) of depressed
patients, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease with and without depression, and healthy
controls. The subjects need to complete the brain positron emission tomography/magnetic
resonance examination, stress assessment, genetic testing, clinical evaluation and
neuropsychological tests. Using the data, this study aimed to identify the abnormalities of
reward circuit of depression and its differences with other diseases, and its abnormalities
in first-degree relatives of depression. The depressed patients who were ineffective in
treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants were then given
combined medication with dopamine receptor-mediated drugs, including dopamine transporter
inhibitor - bupropion, D2 receptor antagonist - risperidone, or D2 receptor partial agonist -
aripiprazole, to examine the regulation of dopamine pathway and its relationship with the
therapeutic effect. Through the above work, we will provide new evidence for integrating the
biological evidence of dopamine reward pathway into the clinical practice of depression.