Clinical trial NCT05531591: RCT of Brain Longitudinal Biomarker Study (OPT-Neuro RCT)
Official title: RCT of Neurocognitive and Neuroimaging Biomarkers: Predicting Progression Towards Dementia in Patients With Treatment-resistant Late-life Depression (OPTIMUM-Neuro RCT)
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: PHASE4
Conditions: Depression
Dementia
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Treatment Resistant Depression
Major Depressive Disorder
Treatment-Refractory Depression
Late Life Depression
Geriatric Depression
Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness Research
Pragmatic Clinical Trials
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Research Clinical Trial
RCT
Lead sponsor: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
First posted: 2022-09-08
Enrollment: 87
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 60
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The purpose of this study is to assess which antidepressants work the best in older adults who have treatment-resistant depression (TRD), and to test whether treatment-resistant late life depression is associated with declines in memory and attention and brain structure and function.

Detailed description: Older adult participants with treatment-resistant depression will be randomly assigned to a Step 1 medication strategy.

* Adding aripiprazole to current antidepressant medication
* Adding bupropion to current antideprssant medication
* Replacing current antidepressant medication with bupropion

If depression is not relieved at the end of 10 weeks, or if participants do not qualify for Step 1, participants will be randomly assigned to a Step 2 medication strategy:

* Adding lithium to current antidepressant medication
* Replacing current antidepressant medication with nortriptyline

All medication strategies will be offered in collaboration with participants' own physicians with the the research team providing support and guidance.

After treatment in Step 1 and/or Step 2, participants will enter the Continuation Phase to assess long term follow-up outcomes for 12 months.

Participants in the Optimizing Outcomes of Treatment-Resistant Depression in Older Adults (OPTIMUM) (NCT02960763) study, will also be asked to participate in this clinical trial to gather imaging and biomarker data. The study will test if changes in brain structure and function are associated with decreases in memory. In this study, investigators will conduct a series of assessments/tests, mainly brain imaging and assessments of participant's memory and attention, to better understand how depression is linked to memory and thinking in older persons.

* Investigators will be collecting blood biomarkers as part of their study procedures. These samples will be used to look at other factors that may relate to depression or memory and attention processes.
* Mechanisms of Late life depression (LLD)-dementia through functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI): Analyzing mechanisms of the LLD-dementia relationship through fMRI acquisitions and analyses, to capture the specific brain networks implicated in executive function and episodic memory decline.
* Neuropsychological Data: Including Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Wide Range Achievement Test-4 (WRAT-4) Reading subtest, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) (Color Word Interference, Trail Making and Verbal Fluency).
* Clinical Scales: Including the Everyday Cognition Scale (E-Cog), Global Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Performance Assessment of Selfcare Skills (PASS)-Cognitive Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(CIADL) Short version, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Suicide Risk Assessments (Suicide Questions, Baseline Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Intent Scale, Beck Lethality Scale, Decision Outcome Inventory, Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, and High Suicide Risk Protocol).

Investigators hope that this study will help the scientific community to understand why some people with depressive symptoms that are resistant to treatment in late-life experience declines in their memory and attention and whether effective treatment of such depression reduces that risk. Finally, investigators hope that this study will eventually lead to the development of better treatment options.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Men and women aged 60 and older, with approximately equal proportions aged 60-70 and 70+.
* Current Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), single or recurrent, as diagnosed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria.
* Failure to respond adequately to two or more antidepressant treatment trials of recommended dose and length (approximately 12 weeks).
* PHQ-9 score of 10 or higher.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Dementia; patients screened out due to possible dementia will be referred to a local Memory Clinic or back to their clinician for evaluation to clarify the presence or absence of dementia.
* Lifetime diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, delusional disorder, or current psychotic symptoms.
* High risk for suicide (e.g. active Suicidal ideations (SI) and or current/recent intent or plan)). Urgent psychiatric referral will be made in these cases.
* Non-correctable, clinically significant sensory impairment (e.g., cannot hear well enough to cooperate with interview).
* Unstable medical illness, including delirium, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or cerebrovascular or cardiovascular risk factors that are not under medical management.
* Moderate to severe substance or alcohol use disorder, as determined by study physician.
* Seizure disorder.
* Parkinson's Disease

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Psychological Well-Being
timeFrame: Step 1 (10 weeks), Step 2 (10 weeks), a period of up to 20 weeks
measure: Assessing the change in the Number of Participants With Remission From Depression
timeFrame: Step 1 (10 weeks), Step 2 (10 weeks), a period of up to 20 weeks
measure: Safety Outcomes Assessment for Serious Adverse Events
timeFrame: Step 1 (10 weeks), Step 2 (10 weeks), a period of up to 20 weeks
measure: To observe whether persistent (non-remitting) depression leads to greater cognitive decline (focusing on executive and episodic memory (EEM)-related cognitive domains
timeFrame: Baseline, 6-months, 24-months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
measure: Plasma biomarkers will be analyzed using a customized multiplex protein array platform for the Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP).
timeFrame: Baseline, 6-months, 24-months
Locations:
city: Los Angeles
country: United States
facility: UCLA Late-Life Mood, Stress, and Wellness Research Program
state: California
city: Saint Louis
country: United States
facility: Washington University School of Medicine Healthy Mind Lab
state: Missouri
city: New York
country: United States
facility: Columbia University Adult and Late Life Depression Clinic
state: New York
city: Toronto
country: Canada
facility: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
state: Ontario
Study officials:
affiliation: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
name: Aristotle Voineskos, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: