Predictors of Treatment Response in Late-onset Major Depressive Disorder

• Status: Suspended
• Trial end date: 2017-11-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Depression is a common disorder, especially in old age, where it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

This study will investigate whether there are features of individual patients with major depression that may predict positive treatment response. The study will invite 40 patients who have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder with onset after the age of 60 years to participate. Participants will be recruited from the Mental Health of Older Adults services at the South London and Maudsley NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust. Participants will receive usual treatment as set out in standard Care Pathways, used by the clinical care team. As part of the study, they will undergo a short battery of neuropsychological tests and a standard MRI brain imaging protocol. The neuropsychological tests and assessment of depression severity will be carried out twice (at Baseline and Week 12). Data will be analysed to investigate whether there are features specific to those patients who show a good response to antidepressant treatment after 12 weeks. Identification of such predictors may help to stratify treatment approaches in the future and lead to the early identification of individual patients who may require alternative treatment approaches to standard antidepressants.

• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: King's College London
• Collaborator: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
• Treatments: Antidepressive Agents

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• The participant is 60 or more years old at the point of first contact with psychiatric specialist services for depression.

• Satisfies diagnostic criteria for current major depressive disorder according to DSM-IV TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000)

• Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of 25 or greater.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previously diagnosed with other major psychiatric illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, benzodiazepine/ substance dependence or personality disorder) or registered intellectual disability.

• Severe or unstable medical condition e.g. severe infection, myocardial infarction, renal failure or metastatic cancer. Including those who have stroke, epilepsy, delirium within 3 months, neurodegenerative disease or dementia.

• History of traumatic brain injury with more than 10 minutes of loss of conscious period.

• Metal implants that would be a contraindication for MRI.