Function of Catecholamines in the Brain During Depression

NCT00082030 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: 04016004-M-0160
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 71
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study will explore brain function related to depressive symptoms and will examine DNA for genes that may be involved in depressive disorders, particularly genes that regulate synthesis and metabolism of the brain neurotransmitter catecholamine. It will compare findings in patients with major depressive disorders who are in remission with those in normal, healthy volunteers. Patients with remitted major depressive disorders and healthy normal volunteers between 18 and 60 years of age may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a psychiatric and medical history, physical examination, electrocardiogram, and blood and urine tests. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures in up to eight visits to the NIH Clinical Center: Memory Tasks and Problem Solving and Brain Imaging Subjects are tested with measurements of intelligence or memory ability. They also undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of the brain. For this procedure, the patient lies on a table that is moved into the scanner (a narrow cylinder), and wears earplugs to muffle loud knocking and thumping sounds that occur during the scanning process. The MRI lasts about 60 minutes. Catecholamine Depletion Study For this study, subjects take capsules containing either AMPT (a drug that temporarily reduces brain catecholamine activity) or a placebo (lactose capsules, which do not affect brain catecholamine activity) at 9 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. on one visit and return the next day to take additional capsules at 7 a.m. and noon. In addition to the study medication, subjects keep a low-monoamine diet (e.g., no chocolate, cheese, smoked meats, and various other foods that will be enumerated) and do not smoke, drink alcohol, or take in food or drink containing caffeine. After taking all the study capsules, the subjects have positron emission tomography (PET) and functional MRI (fMRI) scans, as follows:

• fMRI: While lying in the MRI scanner, the subject performs a monetary reward task that is somewhat like playing a computer video game for money. The amount of cash the subject can win depends on his or her performance. It is possible to lose money that was previously won, if performance declines. This portion of the study provides information on how the brain processes reward and about the role of catecholamines in this process.
• PET: The subject is injected in the arm with a glucose solution that has a radioactive substance attached that can be detected by the PET scanner. During the scan, the subject looks at photographs of faces on a computer screen and is asked to tell the gender of the persons. This test shows brain blood flow and measures brain glucose (sugar) metabolism, which reflects brain activity. At the end of the scan, subjects are asked about their mood and general well being. They return to the Clinical Center the following day for and evaluation of their emotional state. The catecholamine depletion study is repeated a second time 14 days or more after the first. Subjects who received AMPT capsules for the first study take lactose capsules for the second study, and vice-versa.

Conditions

Depression; Involutional

Keywords

Depression; PET; fMRI; Dopamine; Norepinephrine Depletion; Emotional Stimuli; Anhedonia; Norepinephrine; Dopamine Depletion; Major Depressive Disorder; MDD; Healthy Volunteer; HV

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 45 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• MDD Sample: 40 subjects (ages 18-45) with remitted MDD will be selected. MDD is defined by the DSM-IV criteria, and one of the following additional criteria:
• history of two or more major depressive episodes, or
• history of one major depressive episode and a family history for major depression. Remission is defined as a period of at least three months during which the subject has not taken any antidepressant agents, with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS; 21-item) scores in the non-depressed range (less than 8), and with no more than one clinically significant depressive symptom.
• Unaffected MDD Relative Sample:
• healthy relatives of MDD probands (ages 18-45) will be recruited. Subjects will be screened to ensure that they have no history of psychiatric illness.
• Unaffected BD Relative Sample:
• Healthy relatives of BD probands (ages 18-45) will be recruited. Subjects will be screened to ensure that they have no history of psychiatric illness.
• Healthy Control Samples:
• Healthy subjects (ages 18-45) without a known personal or first-degree family history of psychiatric disorders in first-degree relatives will be selected.

You may not qualify if:

• Any subject who appears incapable of providing informed consent will be excluded from the study.
• Subjects who take effective antidepressant medication
• Subjects must not have taken antidepressant or other medications likely to alter monoamine neurochemistry or cerebrovascular and cardiovascular function for at least 3 months prior to the studies.
• Subjects who have:
• psychosis to the extent that the ability to provide informed consent is in doubt
• medical or neurological illnesses likely to affect physiology or anatomy, i.e. hypertension, cardiovascular disorders
• a history of drug (including benzodiazepines \[BZD\]) or alcohol abuse within 1 year or a lifetime history of alcohol or drug dependence (DSM IV criteria) longer than 2 years
• current pregnancy (as documented by pregnancy testing at screening or at days of the challenge studies)
• current breast feeding
• smokers
• serious suicidal ideation or behavior
• smokers are ineligible because of the evidence for interactions between nicotine and depression, and the possibility of withdrawal symptoms that may affect behavioral and neural responses to CD
• history of suicidality and other axis I diagnoses beside major depressive disorder
• lactose intolerance
• women not using a reliable contraception method. Finally subjects who have had an upper respiratory tract infection in the last week will be excluded as this may impact sense of smell.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): lead

Study Sites (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Verhoeff NP, Christensen BK, Hussey D, Lee M, Papatheodorou G, Kopala L, Rui Q, Zipursky RB, Kapur S. Effects of catecholamine depletion on D2 receptor binding, mood, and attentiveness in humans: a replication study. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2003 Jan;74(2):425-32. doi: 10.1016/s0091-3057(02)01028-6.

  PMID: 12479964 BACKGROUND

• Verhoeff NP, Kapur S, Hussey D, Lee M, Christensen B, C Psych, Papatheodorou G, Zipursky RB. A simple method to measure baseline occupancy of neostriatal dopamine D2 receptors by dopamine in vivo in healthy subjects. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2001 Aug;25(2):213-23. doi: 10.1016/S0893-133X(01)00231-7.

  PMID: 11425505 BACKGROUND

• Lambert G, Johansson M, Agren H, Friberg P. Reduced brain norepinephrine and dopamine release in treatment-refractory depressive illness: evidence in support of the catecholamine hypothesis of mood disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2000 Aug;57(8):787-93. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.57.8.787.

  PMID: 10920468 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; Anhedonia; Depressive Disorder, Major

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Depressive Disorder; Mood Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Sponsor Type: NIH

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 28, 2004
• First Posted: April 28, 2004
• Study Start: April 19, 2004
• Study Completion: November 18, 2011
• Last Updated: July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2011-11-18

Locations

US (1)