Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder
Keywords: Sadness Insomnia Loss of appetite Fatigue Trouble thinking
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 20
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The primary objective of the study was to determine the effects of 10-week adjunctive supplementation with 2 doses of LCn-3 fatty acids (fish oil) on cortical functional activity and biochemistry in adolescents with MDD.

The primary prediction was that LCn-3 fatty acid supplementation would dose-dependently increase prefrontal cortical functional activation during sustained attention and increase regional biochemical indices of cortical metabolism and integrity concentrations in association with reductions in depressive symptoms.

Detailed description:
This study is a 10-week open-label EPA+DHA treatment trial in adolescent (aged 12-18 years) patients with major depressive disorder exhibiting partial response to SSRI medications. After a screening visit, patients were randomized (stratified by gender) to open-label fish oil supplements at a fixed dose of either 2.4 g/day or 15 g/day (2 tablespoons/day) for 10 weeks.

A physical examination, a complete blood count (CBC), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were determined at baseline and Week 10, and vital signs (pulse, blood pressure, weight, height, body mass index, temperature) were obtained at each visit. At each visit, safety and tolerability were assessed using a structured side effect interview, the Side Effects Form for Children and Adolescents.

At baseline and all weekly visits, depression symptom severity was determined with the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R), a 17-item observer-rated questionnaire, and remission was defined as a CDRS-R score of ≥28. If a patient's depressive symptoms worsened over the course of the trial (defined as 30% worsening relative to baseline on two consecutive visits using CDRS-R scores), they were withdrawn from the study. In view of the potential risk for developing hypomanic symptoms following LCn-3 fatty acid supplementation, manic symptom severity was monitored over the course of the trial with the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), an 11-item observer-rated questionnaire.

fMRI scans were performed at baseline and at 10 weeks.

Arms:
arm 1: Capsule omega-3 fatty acids 2.4g/day (4 capsules/day) arm 2: Liquid omega-3 fatty acid 15 g/day (2 tablespoons/day)

Interventions: intervention 1: Low Dose Fish Oil intervention 2: High Dose Fish Oil
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Omega-3 Fatty Acids 2.4g/day in capsule form (4 capsules per day) intervention 2: Liquid omega-3 fatty acid 15 g/day (2 tablespoons/day)

Protocol document: