Characterizing Psychological Consequences of Childhood Trauma

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2011-03-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

This study will characterize the mental health consequences of early-life trauma.

• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Emory University
• Collaborator: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• For participants assigned to the MDD groups: current DSM-IV diagnosis of MDD

• For participants assigned to the early-life stress group: repeated (once per month or more for at least year) sexual or physical abuse before the age of 13 years by a perpetrator at least 5 years older at the time

• For female participants: regular menstrual cycle and assessment in the early follicular phase as verified by sex steroid measures

Exclusion Criteria:

• Meets DSM-IV criteria for a gender identity disorder

• For all participants assigned to non-MDD groups: DSM-IV diagnosis of current MDD

• For all participants assigned to the group without early-life stress: major stress experiences before the age of 12 years, such as separation from parents, neglect, parental loss, accidents, severe illness, or natural disaster

• Significant medical illness, such as gastrointestinal, neurological, hormonal, heart, lung, kidney, liver, immunological or hematological disease, organic brain disease, or cancer as determined by history, physical examination, ECG, and laboratory tests

• Pregnant or breastfeeding

• Past or current presence of psychotic symptoms or bipolar disorder

• Current presence of psychoactive substance abuse/dependency or eating disorders

• Currently taking hormonal medication

• Taking psychotropic medication within 4 weeks of study entry

• General exclusion criteria for PET and fMRI