Influenza Challenge in Mood Disorders

Stopped early · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER

In brief

The aim of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of the influenza vaccine in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as to elucidate the nature of the immunological abnormalities in MDD using a quasi-experimental design. Specifically, the investigators plan to induce transient, mild inflammation in medically-healthy study participants using the influenza vaccine. Initially the investigators will conduct a pilot project with up to 20 individuals in order to evaluate the time-point at which the peak inflammatory response to the vaccine occurs. Subjects will receive the seasonal influenza vaccine and provide blood samples 4 hours, 2 days, and 30 days post vaccination. Subsequent to the pilot study, both depressed and psychiatrically-healthy participants will be randomized in a parallel group, double-blind design so that they receive either influenza vaccine (seasonal vaccine) or saline (i.m). At baseline, subjects will provide a blood sample, complete a number of rating scales to measure mood and fatigue, and may complete approximately one hour of MRI scanning with or without simultaneous EEG recording. Two-days post vaccination, they will provide a second blood sample, complete more clinical ratings and may complete another identical MRI session with or without simultaneous EEG. Four weeks later, participants will be asked to return to provide a third blood sample and complete additional clinical ratings. The blood samples will be used to measure both innate and adaptive immune function and may be used to correlate the vaccine-induced immunological changes to neurophysiological changes in the brain measured by MRI and/or EEG.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02415166

Run by

Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Inc.

People needed

6

Starts

2015-07-01

Expected to finish

2016-03-01

Last updated by the study team

2018-01-23

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 55. Sex: female. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Major Depressive Disorder Patient Group - Currently Depressed: Subjects will have met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-V) criteria for primary MDD in a current major depressive episode and current Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) or Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score in the mild-to-severely depressed range and will have been deemed to be medically stable by a physician listed on this protocol. Subjects who do not wish to receive treatment with psychotropic medication in the future and have not taken psychotropic medication for at least 3 weeks will be included in the study.
• Healthy Comparison Group: Subjects will be selected who have not met criteria for any Axis I psychiatric disorder, have no known first-degree relatives with mood or anxiety disorders, and have a current score on the HAM-D or MADRS in the non-depressed range.

You may not qualify if…

• Inability to provide informed consent, pregnant or nursing women, known hypersensitivity to vaccines, age of onset of MDD > 40 years, metal implants or other factors that would preclude MRI scanning, serious risk of suicide, delusions or hallucinations, medical or neurological illnesses (such as diabetes, autoimmune disorders or inflammatory bowel disease) that affect brain structure, function or immune measurements, previous head injury with loss of consciousness, abuse of drugs or alcohol within the previous year or a lifetime history of substance dependence, treatment with medications that impact immune function (e.g. prednisone), HIV or other chronic infection, a recent acute illness (e.g. influenza), receipt of a vaccine within 3 months of commencing the study. Subjects whose first major depressive episodes arose temporally after other major medical or psychiatric conditions will also be excluded, since their functional imaging results generally differ from those reported in primary MDD.
• Subjects will be asked not to take any over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or drink alcohol for 48 hr. before each study day. The use of oral contraceptives and menstrual phase or status are not exclusion criteria but this information will be recorded. The same exclusion criteria apply to healthy controls with the added criterion that first-degree relatives should be free of major psychiatric illness as assessed with the Family Interview for Genetic Studies (FIGS).

Where it is running

• Laureate Institute for Brian Research — Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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