Depression Clinical Trials in Boston, MA

This study will determine the effects of pregnenolone on brain function, inflammation and depressive symptoms in people with HIV who have depression. Participants in this study will receive a pill of either pregnenolone or placebo, and can stay on their current antidepression medications. Brain imaging and behavioral assessments will be performed during the study. Read Less

Within a research network of Head Start centers in Massachusetts, an efficacy trial of a stepped-care intervention (SCI) to address maternal depression, using intervention components that both prevent depression and help those in major depressive episode (MDE) engage with care, will be conducted. Both the prevention and engagement components of the model have strong, supportive randomized trial evidence for both their efficacy and safety; but they have yet to be synthesized and tested within a coordinated intervention, applicable to a broad population base. Stepped-care interventions are commonly used in mental health service projects, in which the intensity or type of service is calibrated to the severity of illness. Read Less

Major depressive and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in the general population and are a leading cause of disability. Black adults have a high burden of depression and anxiety. This study aims to assess a self- administered video-based intervention to reduce mental illness stigma and medical mistrust among Black adults with moderate to severe depression or anxiety. Read Less

In the United States, adolescents experience alarmingly high rates of major depression, and gold-standard treatments are only effective for approximately half of patients. Rumination may be a promising treatment target, as it is well-characterized at the neural level and contributes to depression onset, maintenance, and recurrence as well as predicts treatment non-response. Accordingly, the proposed research will investigate whether an innovative mindfulness-based real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback intervention successfully elicits change in the brain circuit underlying rumination to improve clinical outcomes among depressed adolescents. Read Less

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are common. Post-TBI depression is associated with anxiety, aggression, fatigue, distractibility, anger, irritability, and rumination. The current research group conducted a pilot clinical trial, which investigated the novel treatment combination of buspirone and melatonin (B+MEL) in outpatients with clinical depression. Compared to placebo, B+MEL was associated with a significant improvement in depressive symptoms. Depression following TBI may be different from clinical depression. The B+MEL combination has never been studied in patients with post-TBI depression. The B+MEL has shown promise in ameliorating cognitive difficulties in people with depression. Because cognitive problems are typical in people with post-TBI depression, we plan to measure the effect of the B+MEL combination on cognitive ability in post-TBI depression. Additionally, we are interested in measuring functional magnetic resonance imaging changes before and after treatment with B+MEL in order to gain insight into the brain mechanisms of our hypothesized clinical symptom changes. The goals of the proposed pilot research project are to assess changes in symptoms in patients with post-TBI depression following Buspirone + Melatonin combination (B+MEL), and the corresponding brain mechanisms underlying these hypothesized changes by measuring: 1) depressive symptoms; 2) cognitive symptoms; 3) functional magnetic resonance imaging. Read Less

This is an observational neuroimaging study assessing the effects of ECT on the brains of patients with unipolar and bipolar depression. Read Less

Objectives of this study are to determine whether active VNS Therapy treatment is superior to a no stimulation control in producing a reduction in baseline depressive symptom severity, based on multiple depression scale assessment tools at 12 months from randomization. Read Less

This is an outpatient, 2-arm, Phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of REL-1017 once daily (QD) as an adjunctive treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. Study participants will continue to take their current antidepressant therapy in addition to the study drug or placebo for the duration of the treatment period. Read Less

The goal of this research study is to train psychotherapists to administer individualized evidence-based psychotherapies in a cancer care setting to participants with elevated levels of distress due to their illness and/or treatment. The intervention will mirror clinical care in psycho-oncology in which the therapist, collaboratively with their supervisor, will choose specific components of the following evidence-based treatments to administer based on the clinical presentation of the patient and referring problem. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy (MCP) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) CBT for other cancer-related physical symptoms like pain, fatigue, and nausea. Participation in this research study is expected to last about 26 weeks. It is expected that about 100 people and 15 therapists will take part in this research study. Read Less

This study aims to address treatment and service disparities and prevent disability among racial/ethnic and linguistic minority elders. It tests the effectiveness and implementation readiness of the Positive Minds-Strong Bodies Enhanced intervention (PMSB-E), a combined mental and physical health intervention designed to be implemented in low-resource community settings. This renewal grant project includes a streamlined intervention with new components designed to improve and maintain participant outcomes. Read Less

This is a parallel group study design. The investigators propose to compare an online, synchronous group-based yoga intervention developed for individuals with depression to an online, synchronous individualized, evidence-based behavioral therapy for depression, or Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BA). This study is a multi-site randomized trial of adults with clinically significant depressive symptoms. Participants (N=518) will be randomized in an equal allocation ratio (i.e., 1:1) across two intervention groups: yoga and BA. Interventions will be provided over a 12-week period and assessments will occur at baseline (week 0), week 6, week 12, week 18, and week 24. Read Less

The investigators will complete a pragmatic randomized trial (N=260 randomized participants) of the 26-week blended collaborative care (CC) intervention compared to enhanced usual care (eUC) in patients admitted for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or heart failure (HF) found to have current depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or panic disorder (PD). The CC intervention will use a novel three-pronged approach to these high-risk patients. Care managers will provide centralized care coordination and specific interventions targeting: (1) the psychiatric disorders, (2) cardiac health behaviors, and (3) the cardiac illness. The primary study outcome will be physical function at 26 weeks, measured by the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI), given links between function and new cardiac events. The investigators will also examine effects on numerous other outcomes important to patients and healthcare systems. Specific Aim 1 [patient-centered outcomes-primary aim]: To compare between-group differences in the CC and eUC conditions on improvements in physical function, health-related quality of life, mental health, patient satisfaction, and other key patient-reported outcomes at 26 and 52 weeks. Specific Aim 2 [adherence and medical outcomes]: To compare between-group differences on health behaviors (physical activity, diet, smoking, medication adherence) and major adverse cardiac events. Specific Aim 3 [cost]: To compare healthcare costs between groups and assess the cost-effectiveness of CC. Hypotheses: The investigators expect this bolstered CC program to be associated with superior improvements in physical function, health-related quality of life, patient satisfaction, and adherence at 26 weeks, with promising effects on major adverse cardiac events. The investigators likewise expect the intervention to be cost-effective (<$10,000/quality-adjusted life year) over the study period. Read Less