Depression Paid Clinical Trials in California

The goal of this open-label single-arm study is to test a meditative neurofeedback intervention for depressed mood. Read Less

Youth exposed to early life adversity (ELA) are known to be at greater risk for depression and suicidality and account for almost half of the youth suffering from psychiatric diseases today. Youth exposed to ELA consistently report symptoms of anhedonia as well as dysregulated positive affect. The present project will test the efficacy of PAT in a sample of ELA-exposed adolescents in order to determine whether PAT increases positive affect, and subsequently symptoms of depression. For the initial pilot phase of the investigation, the investigators will recruit up to 30 adolescents exposed to two or more childhood adversities (ACEs) who do not currently have major depressive disorder, and randomize them (1:1) to either participate in PAT or a waitlist control condition. For the second phase of the investigation, the investigators will recruit up to 300 adolescents exposed to two or more childhood adversities (ACEs) who do not currently have major depressive disorder, and randomize them (1:1) to either participate in PAT or supportive psychotherapy. For both phases, at study enrollment, then 4-, 8, and 12-months thereafter the investigators will measure positive affect and depressive symptoms (including anhedonia and reward sensitivity). The results of this study will be used to inform whether PAT has the potential to prevent major depressive episodes among adversity-exposed youth. Read Less

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a treatment for depression. The investigators are continuing to learn how to optimize outcomes from rTMS treatment. The purpose of this research project is to use brain network connectivity patterns as measured by resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to confirm a way to optimize the use of rTMS to treat depression. In addition, the study aims to gain a better understanding of how rTMS influences brain networks. Read Less

Trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorder (SUD) present major threats to public health. PTSD and SUD are major correlates of disability, often resulting in severe social and occupational impairment. Comorbidity between PTSD and SUD (PTSD/SUD) is common and frequently co-occurs with other mental health ailments including depression, anxiety, and suicidality. Comorbidity may be amplified in groups vulnerable to high trauma exposure, such as women with low socioeconomic status including women experiencing homelessness (WEH). Moreover, the reciprocal nature of PTSD/SUD (substances are used to cope with PTSD symptoms; substance use can create high-risk situations for new traumas to occur), can create a cycle of trauma and symptomatology leading to a critical health disparity. PTSD/SUD can be costly and difficult to treat, with treatment completion often low and relapse rates often high. Low-cost, complementary interventions, such as self-compassion (SC) interventions, which target key mechanisms that maintain PTSD/SUD, could improve treatment outcomes. SC interventions include practices that build skills to improve emotional responses, cognitive understanding, and mindfulness. Recent research supports the benefit of SC interventions for reducing PTSD, SUD, and related comorbidities, potentially with large effects. However, sample sizes have generally been small and randomized designs infrequently used. Moreover, while SC interventions may act to improve key mechanisms of treatment response and/or symptom maintenance (e.g., emotion regulation/dysregulation, trauma-related guilt, trauma-related shame, moral injury, and craving), such mediating factors have been underexplored. To address these limitations, the present proposal will implement community-based research principles and use a two phase, mixed-method design to adapt and test a widely used SC intervention (Mindful Self Compassion; MSC) for use with a sample of WEH with PTSD/SUD. The project will be conducted in partnership with a state-funded drug treatment facility that serves women and families experiencing high health disparities. Phase I was completed in 2023 and adapted the standard MSC course for use with trauma-exposed WEH with PTSD/SUD using the ADAPT-ITT model, an eight-stage model that engages community partners to increase feasibility and acceptability of interventions for at-risk populations. Phase II will be an open-label cluster randomized clinical trial (N=202) to test the benefit of the adapted MSC at improving primary (PTSD, substance use) and secondary outcomes (depression, anxiety, hopelessness) among a sample of WEH with PTSD/SUD residing in a residential drug treatment site. MSC (n=101) will be compared to Treatment as Usual (TAU; n=101). WEH in the MSC group will complete a 6-week (six sessions plus a half-day retreat) MSC intervention. The TAU group will engage in weekly check-ins with the research team but will not receive an intervention. WEH will be assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at a 4-month follow-up. One-on-one interviews will be conducted with the MSC group to collect qualitative data on experiences. An exploratory aim will be to elucidate mechanism of treatment-response and maintenance or remission of PTSD symptoms. These potential mechanisms will include SC, emotion regulation/dysregulation, trauma-related guilt, trauma-related shame, moral injury, and craving. Results may inform treatment for PTSD/SUD in WEH and other groups experiencing high health disparities and provide valuable insights into mechanisms underlying PTSD/SUD symptoms over time. Findings are relevant to military populations, which experience high rates of PTSD/SUD, and other populations disproportionately exposed to trauma. Read Less

Participants will receive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) at a random location in the left prefrontal cortex, excluding sites that are potentially unsafe. Extensive behavioral testing will be conducted to determine which behaviors are modulated by stimulating which circuits. Read Less

This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of an innovative approach to treating Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), particularly in cases where patients have not responded well to traditional therapies. Specifically, the objective is to evaluate the antidepressant effects of a Dose-Optimized and Spaced Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (DOS-tDCS) protocol in participants with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) compared to spaced tDCS only and sham tDCS in a 3-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT). The proposed method involves applying low-intensity electrical currents through the scalp in a manner that is both more intense and more frequently spaced than standard treatments. This approach is hypothesized to lead to a significant reduction in depressive symptoms. Participants in the study will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: the experimental group receiving the DOS-tDCS treatment, a group receiving spaced tDCS only, or a control group receiving a sham (placebo) treatment. Outcomes will be measured over a period of six weeks. The study's goal is to offer a potentially more accessible and effective treatment option for individuals who have not benefited from existing MDD therapies. Read Less

The primary objective will be to study changes in putamen connectivity and depression severity in depressed teens with meditation training. H1: Putamen node strength will increase in the training group compared to the active controls. H2: This increase in node strength will correlate with practice amount recorded by participants. H3: There will be a significant reduction in self-rated depression symptoms following the training as measured by the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS-2), compared to controls. H4: This reduction will correlate with the increase in putamen node strength. Design and Outcomes: The current research study design will utilize an individually randomized group treatment, open-label, active-controlled clinical trial to test the efficacy and safety of the investigator's innovative mindfulness meditation intervention (Training for Awareness Resilience and Action \[TARA\]) on the primary outcome (Putamen structural node strength) and secondary outcome (depression symptoms measured using Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale \[RADS-2\]) in depressed adolescents between the ages of 14 to 18 years old. Read Less

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two sleep programs in pregnant people with insomnia. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. What is the efficacy of digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) versus digital sleep hygiene education (SHE) for preventing perinatal depression? 2. Is the effect of digital CBT-I on perinatal depression mediated through prenatal insomnia symptom improvement? 3. Is the effect of digital CBT-I on perinatal depression moderated by baseline depressive symptom severity? Participants will receive one of two sleep programs - SHE or CBT-I. Both involve six weekly online sessions. Participants will complete surveys and interviews until 1 year postpartum. Read Less

This study will assess the combined effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and telehealth based therapy in helping manage mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) related headaches. The investigators hypothesize that active rTMS combined with telehealth therapy will provide marked reduction in mTBI related headaches and symptoms in comparison to their placebo counterparts. Read Less

The primary goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether Personalized Augmented Cognitive Training (PACT) plus intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is effective for treating depression in Service Members, Veterans, and civilians who have sustained a mild TBI. Participants will receive PACT plus 20 sessions of iTBS or sham iTBS over 4 weeks. Assessments will occur at baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. Researchers will compare the PACT+iTBS group to the PACT+sham iTBS group to see if PACT+iTBS is associated with more depression improvement. Read Less

Efficacy of a Multi-level School Intervention for LGBTQ Youth Read Less

The purpose of this research study is to characterize the mechanisms contributing to cognitive impairment and accelerated cognitive decline in Late Life Depression (LLD). This is a non-randomized, observational, non-treatment study that originally launched in 2015, enrolling 133 participants. From the originally enrolled participants, the continuation of the ADNI-D study will enroll 120 participants which will include following participants from the original (parent) protocol and enrollment of new participants for a period of 30 months. Data from an additional 300 non-depressed subjects will be used from ADNI studies for comparison. Depression history, symptom severity and health information will be collected at the initial visit to determine eligibility. An magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, as well as amyloid (florbetapir) and tau (flortaucipr) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging will be conducted at San Francisco VA. Collection of plasma and serum for biomarkers, clinical assessments and cognitive assessments will be conducted at two time points. Blood samples will also be collected for genetic analysis. Read Less