Conditions: Major Depression
Keywords: Escitalopram Lexapro fMRI pictures
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 17
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study is to find out what parts of the brain have increased or decreased activity when people are depressed and how antidepressant medicine changes this activity in depressed patients. The genetic samples collected are to look at variation in a gene (serotonin transporter gene), which affects the functioning of the chemical serotonin in the brain

Detailed description:
This study will measure the activity in different parts of the brain, while the patients are seeing some pictures, using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. For this study three MRI scans will be conducted. One before the patient begins on any medication, one during the study after 3 weeks of treatment and one after six more weeks of treatment with a standard antidepressant called Escitalopram(trade name: Lexapro).

Arms:
arm 1: Subjects receiving Escitalopram (trade name: Lexapro) that are in the age range of 18-25 arm 2: Subjects receiving Escitalopram (trade name: Lexapro) in the age range of 26-50

Interventions: intervention 1: Escitalopram
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 10 mg of Escitalopram by mouth once a day for 8 weeks

Protocol document: