- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT03277586
Effects of Probiotics on Symptoms of Depression (EPSD)
January 13, 2021 updated by: Dr. Roumen Milev, Queen's University
Preclinical and clinical studies have shown that consuming probiotics can improve mood, anxiety, and cognition, as well as alter brain activity in both rodents and healthy humans.
Data from our recent open-label, 8-week pilot study provided the first evidence of these effects in depressed patients, with significant improvements observed in overall mood, anhedonia, and sleep quality.
To further support this evidence and expand upon the search for biomarkers in depression, data from this pilot study is being used to plan a 16-week, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial to assess the effects of probiotics on depression.
Participants diagnosed with depression recruited from the greater Kingston area will orally consume a probiotic supplement containing Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum (Probio'Stick, Lallemand Health Solutions) or placebo once daily.
Participants will undergo clinical assessments measuring mood, anxiety, cognition, and sleep using a battery of validated clinical scales to assess efficacy of the probiotic alleviating depressive symptoms; sleep will also be assessed objectively with an ambulatory polysomnogram.
Neuroimaging data will be collected using magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography to look at functional, structural, and electrical changes in the brain associated with consumption of the probiotic.
Molecular data will be collected from blood, stool, and urine samples to look at levels of cytokines and serotonin, and explore potential genes and proteins that may predict outcomes in depression.
An informatics-based approach will be used to integrate clinical, neuroimaging, and molecular data to look for biomarkers that indicate disease state and predict antidepressant-like response to the probiotic.
Results: We expect results to replicate and expand on our pilot data, demonstrating that probiotics are effective in alleviating symptoms of depression, and to find biomarkers that will predict these outcomes.
The findings from this study will contribute robust scientific data that is currently lacking in this emerging field.
Study Overview
Status
Terminated
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Actual)
28
Phase
- Phase 3
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
-
-
Ontario
-
Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7L 4X3
- Providence Care Hospital
-
-
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
18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Genders Eligible for Study
All
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) according to DSM-5 as determined by MINI
- Current depressive episode with a MADRS score of 20
- Males and females between ages 18 and 65
- Able to understand and comply with the requirements of the study
- Provision of written informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- Current use of any antidepressant drug
- Three or more previous episodes of depression
- Failure to respond to another treatment in the current episode
- Use of any antibiotic drug in the past 4 weeks (may be eligible to participate after a 1-month washout period). Should a participant require an antibiotic drug during the 16 week study period, they may continue with the study but must take the probiotic 4-6 hours before or after they take the antibiotic.
- Use of any sleep medication in the past 4 weeks (may be eligible to participate after a 1-month washout period)
- Milk, yeast, or soy allergy
- History of alcohol or substance dependence in the past 6 months
- Use of probiotic product in the past 2 weeks (may be eligible to participate after a 2-week washout period) and during the trial
- Use of any type of laxative
- Consumption of products fortified in probiotics 2 weeks before and during the trial
- High risk of suicide (score 4 or more on item 10 of MADRS)
- Psychotic symptoms determined by the MINI
- Bipolar Disorder determined by the MINI
- Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant during the course of the trial (determined by a pregnancy test performed at the screening visit and confirmation of the use of appropriate contraception)
- Immunodeficiency (immuno-compromised and immuno-suppressed participants; e.g. AIDS, lymphoma, participants undergoing long-term corticosteroid treatment, chemotherapy and allograft participants)
- Unstable or severe medical conditions (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular, renal, lung, diabetes, psychiatric illness, bleeding disorders, etc.)
- The use of natural health products (NHPs; e.g. St. John's Wort, melatonin, passion flower, etc.) that affect depression or sleep is not allowed in the trial
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the year prior to participation in the study
- Taking medication or other not-permitted treatment that cannot be safely discontinued
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
- Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
- Allocation: RANDOMIZED
- Interventional Model: PARALLEL
- Masking: QUADRUPLE
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
---|---|
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Placebo
|
Identically formulated and packaged inactive substance
|
EXPERIMENTAL: Probio'Stick
|
Probiotic supplement containing Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Mood
Time Frame: 16 weeks
|
Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale
|
16 weeks
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Anxiety
Time Frame: 16 weeks
|
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale
|
16 weeks
|
Anhedonia
Time Frame: 16 weeks
|
Snaith Hamilton Pleasure Scale
|
16 weeks
|
Cognition
Time Frame: 16 weeks
|
CNS Vital Signs
|
16 weeks
|
Cytokines
Time Frame: 16 weeks
|
Blood plasma
|
16 weeks
|
Serotonin
Time Frame: 16 weeks
|
Blood Plasma
|
16 weeks
|
Microbiome
Time Frame: 16 weeks
|
Stool
|
16 weeks
|
Brain structure/function
Time Frame: 8 weeks
|
fMRI
|
8 weeks
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Sponsor
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 (ACTUAL)
May 29, 2018
Primary Completion (ACTUAL)
November 30, 2020
Study Completion (ACTUAL)
November 30, 2020
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
September 1, 2017
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
September 6, 2017
First Posted (ACTUAL)
September 11, 2017
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)
January 15, 2021
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
January 13, 2021
Last Verified
January 1, 2021
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- 6020656
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
NO
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
No
product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.
No
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.
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-
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-
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-
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-
Gerbera Therapeutics, Inc.Not yet recruitingPostpartum Depression | Depression, Postpartum | Postnatal Depression | Post-partum Depression | Post-Natal DepressionUnited States
Clinical Trials on Probio'Stick
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Queen's UniversityMcMaster University; Lallemand Health SolutionsCompletedThe Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Probiotics on the Mood and Cognition of Depressed PatientsDepression | Depressive Symptoms | Major Depressive DisorderCanada