Assessing Anterior Cingulate Brain Activity in People With Late-Life Depression

August 10, 2015 updated by: Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Anterior Cingulate Activation in Geriatric Depression

This study will examine differences in activity of the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain area involved in emotion and cognitive regulation, between older adults with and without depression.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Older adults with depression often also suffer from executive dysfunction-problems with planning, impulse control, and reasoning. Executive dysfunction in older adults predicts poor or delayed response to antidepressant treatment and has been associated with early relapse and recurrence of late-life major depression. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a scan that can measure the activity of someone's brain while that person performs tasks. So far, no fMRI studies investigating cerebral activation patterns in late-life depression have been published. In this study, people will undergo fMRI while they are performing an executive function task. Older adults with late-life depression and older adults without depression will be tested and compared in order to identify the areas and patterns of brain activity underlying executive dysfunction in late-life depression.

Participation in this study will consist of one study visit, during which participants will undergo an fMRI scan that will last 60 to 90 minutes. While being scanned, participants will perform cognitive tasks that involve pressing buttons in response to words viewed on a screen.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

76

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • White Plains, New York, United States, 10605
        • New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical College

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Depressed and control participants are recruited from the community, with additional depressed participants recruited from a geriatric outpatient clinic at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical College.

Description

Inclusion Criteria for Depressed Participants:

  • Diagnosis of major depression by DSM-IV criteria
  • Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score greater than 24
  • Severity score of 17 or higher on the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score (HDRS) during the index episode
  • Residence less than a 45-minute drive from New York Hospital-Westchester Division

Exclusion Criteria for Depressed Participants:

  • Presence of psychotic depression, as defined by Research Diagnostic Criteria and DSM-IV
  • History of psychiatric disorders other than unipolar major depression (people with bipolar disorder and dysthymia will be excluded)
  • Presence of dementing disorders
  • Acute or severe medical illness, such as the following: delirium; metastatic cancer; decompensated cardiac, liver, or kidney failure; major surgery; or cerebrovascular accident or myocardial infarction 3 months prior to study entry
  • Receiving drugs known to cause depression, including reserpine, alpha-methyl-dopa, and steroids
  • Requires concomitant treatment with other psychotropics, including antipsychotic medications, lithium salts, stimulants, valproic acid, carbamazepine, or gabapentin
  • Severe aphasia interfering with communication
  • Contraindications to magnetic resonance (MR) scanning, such as implanted metal, claustrophobia, or weight greater than or equal to 300 lbs

Inclusion Criteria for Age-Matched Non-Psychiatric Comparison Sample:

  • MMSE score greater than 24

Exclusion Criteria for Age-Matched Non-Psychiatric Comparison Sample:

  • History of psychiatric disorder
  • Presence of dementing disorders
  • Acute or severe medical illness, such as the following: delirium; metastatic cancer; decompensated cardiac, liver, or kidney failure; major surgery; or cerebrovascular accident or myocardial infarction 3 months prior to study entry
  • Receiving drugs known to cause depression, including reserpine, alpha-methyl-dopa, and steroids
  • Current treatment with psychotropics
  • Severe aphasia interfering with communication
  • Contraindications to MR scanning, such as implanted metal, claustrophobia, or weight greater than or equal to 300 lbs

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Depressed
Elderly participants with depression
Drug: Escitalopram
10 to 20 mg daily as part of another study in which participants are enrolled
Other Names:
  • Lexapro
Control
Elderly participants who have never experienced depression

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Cerebral activation, as measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Time Frame: Average of a 2 hour MRI session
Average of a 2 hour MRI session

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Faith M. Gunning-Dixon, PhD, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 2005

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2010

Study Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 22, 2009

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 22, 2009

First Posted (Estimate)

June 23, 2009

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 11, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 10, 2015

Last Verified

August 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • K23MH074818 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • DATR AK-TNGP1

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Depression

Clinical Trials on Escitalopram

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Canada

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

3
Subscribe