ASCERTAINTRD
Augmentation Versus Switch: Comparative Effectiveness Research Trial for Antidepressant Incomplete and Non-responders With Treatment Resistant Depression (ASCERTAIN-TRD)
Sponsor study identifier
interventional
278
2 countries
13
Study Start
July 13, 2017
Actual (reported)Primary Completion
April 24, 2022
Actual (reported)Study Completion
April 24, 2022
Actual (reported)This is a multi-site, randomized, open-label, effectiveness trial comparing three treatment arms for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) patients with TRD who are currently on ongoing, stable and adequate antidepressant therapy (ADT). Adequate ADT is defined as a therapeutically sufficient dose for a sufficient treatment period, which would be expected to be effective as listed in the MGH Antidepressant Treatment Response Questionnaire (ATRQ). Patients will be randomized in a 1:1:1 fashion to one of three open-label treatment arms: a) aripiprazole augmentation, b) rTMS augmentation, and c) switching to venlafaxine XR or Duloxetine.
Registry-reported information. Elapsed time and enrollment totals alone do not measure study progress or recruitment pace.
April 24, 2022
Actual (reported)Click on a node to explore related trials.
Dates and qualifiers reported by the registry. Estimated dates do not confirm that a milestone has occurred.
November 28, 2016
Actual (reported)November 30, 2016
Actual (reported)July 13, 2017
Actual (reported)April 24, 2022
Actual (reported)April 24, 2022
Actual (reported)July 9, 2026
Actual (reported)Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)
The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) is a clinician-rated scale that assesses the severity of depressive symptoms. The scale consists of 10 items evaluating apparent sadness, reported sadness, inner tension, reduced sleep, reduced appetite, concentration difficulties, lassitude, inability to feel, pessimistic thoughts, and suicidal thoughts. Each item is scored from 0 to 6. Item scores are summed to calculate a total MADRS score ranging from 0 to 60, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms and a worse outcome.
8 weeks
Quality of Life, Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire - Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF)
8 weeks
Massachusetts General Hospital Cognitive and Physical Symptoms Questionnaire (MGH CPFQ)
8 weeks
Patients randomized to this treatment arm will be instructed to continue all permitted psychotropics at their current dose throughout the 8-week trial and initiate adjunctive aripiprazole. The starting dose will be 5mg daily. The dose may be reduced to as low as 2mg for tolerability issues (this will be the lowest dose permitted for continuation in the trial). The dose may be adjusted in 2 or 5mg increments. The minimum time per increment will be 7 days. The maximum dose will be set at 15mg daily. For patients who are not on potent cytochrome 2D6 inhibitors (such as paroxetine, fluoxetine, duloxetine) or on potent cytochrome 3A4 inhibitors (such as fluvoxamine and nefazodone) and who are able to tolerate 15mg daily, the maximum dose can be raised to 20mg daily for efficacy.
Patients randomized to this treatment arm will be instructed to continue all permitted psychotropics at their current dose throughout the 8-week trial. We will use clinical TMS stimulators with focal figure-of-eight coils. We will start by measuring the patient´s motor threshold (MT), which is a measure of cortical excitability used to standardize the intensity of stimulation across subjects.
Oral adjunctive therapy with aripiprazole, dose adjusted for effectiveness and tolerability.
Adjunctive therapy with transcranial magnetic stimulation, dose adjusted for effectiveness and tolerability.
The University of Alabama School of Medicine
Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, United States
Pacific Institute of Medical Research
Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States
Stanford University
Stanford, California, 94305, United States
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida, 33613, United States
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
New York University
New York, New York, 10003, United States
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio, 45219, United States
Guidetti C, Chaikali S, Trivedi MH, Shelton RC, Iosifescu DV, Thase ME, Jha MK, Mathew SH, DeBattista C, Dokucu ME, Brawman-Mintzer O, Hernandez Ortiz JM, Currier GW, McCall WV, Modirrousta M, Macaluso M, Bystritsky A, Vila-Rodriguez F, Nelson EB, Yeung AS, MacGregor LC, Carmody T, Fava M, Papakostas GI. Comparative Effectiveness Research Trial for Antidepressant Incomplete and Nonresponders With Treatment Resistant Depression (ASCERTAIN-TRD): Effect of Aripiprazole or Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Augmentation Versus Switching to the Antidepressant Venlafaxine on Quality of Life. J Clin Psychiatry. 2025 Aug 11;86(3):24m15614. doi: 10.4088/JCP.24m15614.
Papakostas GI, Trivedi MH, Shelton RC, Iosifescu DV, Thase ME, Jha MK, Mathew SJ, DeBattista C, Dokucu ME, Brawman-Mintzer O, Currier GW, McCall WV, Modirrousta M, Macaluso M, Bystritsky A, Rodriguez FV, Nelson EB, Yeung AS, Feeney A, MacGregor LC, Carmody T, Fava M. Comparative effectiveness research trial for antidepressant incomplete and non-responders with treatment resistant depression (ASCERTAIN-TRD) a randomized clinical trial. Mol Psychiatry. 2024 Aug;29(8):2287-2295. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02468-x. Epub 2024 Mar 7.
278 participants (actual enrollment reported by the registry).
First Submitted
November 28, 2016
First Posted
November 30, 2016
Study Start
July 13, 2017
Actual (reported)Patients randomized to this treatment arm will be instructed to continue all permitted psychotropics throughout the 8-week trial, except for their antidepressant(s). They will be instructed to discontinue all antidepressants and initiate venlafaxine that day, as direct switch to serotonergic antidepressants is well tolerated and avoids loss of precious therapeutic time (Montgomery et al., 2014), including to switching to venlafaxine in STAR\*D (Rush et al., 2006b). For patients who do not prefer a direct switch, or when clinically indicated otherwise in the opinion of the site investigator, a gradual tapering during the screening period will be permitted as long as a direct switch to venlafaxine is made on the baseline visit from the final antidepressant dose. The starting dose of venlafaxine will be 75mg daily. The dose may be reduced to as low as 37.5mg for tolerability issues (this will be the lowest dose permitted for continuation in the trial).
Oral switch therapy with venlafaxine, dose adjusted for effectiveness and tolerability.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
Roper St. Francis Hospital
Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas, 75390, United States
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
University of Manitoba St. Boniface Hospital
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2H 2A6, Canada
Primary Completion
April 24, 2022
Actual (reported)Study Completion
April 24, 2022
Actual (reported)Last Updated
July 9, 2026
Results First Posted
July 9, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-06
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