Emotional and Cognitive Control in Late-Onset Depression

Completed · Phase 4

Conditions studied: Depression

In brief

This study may help identify how abnormalities in brain systems that control the ability to ignore irrelevant information may contribute to the development of depression in older adults.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01728194

Run by

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

People needed

121

Starts

2012-07-01

Expected to finish

2019-07-31

Last updated by the study team

2020-10-06

Who can join

Age: 60 and older, up to 85. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age: 60-85 years, right-handed;
• Diagnosis: Major depression, unipolar (by Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)IV (SCID-R) and DSM-IV criteria);
• Age of onset of first episode ≥ 50 years with up to three depressive episodes;
• Severity of depression: A 24-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) ≥ 20.

You may not qualify if…

• Psychotic depression by DSM-IV, i.e., presence of delusions with a SCID-R score higher than 2;
• High suicide risk, i.e. intent or plan to attempt suicide in near future;
• Presence of any Axis I psychiatric disorder (other than unipolar major depression) or substance abuse;
• History of psychiatric disorders other than unipolar major depression or generalized anxiety disorder (bipolar disorder, hypomania, and dysthymia are exclusion criteria);
• Dementia: Diagnosis of dementia by DSM-IV;
• Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI);
• Acute or severe medical illness, i.e., delirium, metastatic cancer, decompensated cardiac, liver or kidney failure, major surgery, stroke or myocardial infarction during the three months prior to entry; or use of drugs known to cause depression, e.g., reserpine, alpha-methyl-dopa, steroids, sympathomimetics withdrawal;
• Neurological brain disease and/or history of electroconvulsive therapy;
• History of any use of citalopram or escitalopram during the current episode or need for drugs that may interact with these agents, i.e. drug metabolized by the 2D6 P450 isoenzyme system;
• Current involvement in psychotherapy;
• Contraindications to MRI scanning including cardiac pacemaker, metallic objects and metallic implants contraindicating MRI, cardiac stent, claustrophobia;
• Inability to speak English;
• Corrected visual acuity < 20/70; Color blindness.

Where it is running

• Weill Cornell Medical College — New York, New York, United States
• Weill Cornell Medical College - Westchester Division — White Plains, New York, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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