Does Duloxetine Improve Cognitive Function Independently of Its Antidepressant Effect in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder and Subjective Reports of Cognitive Dysfunction?

Introduction. Cognitive deficits are commonly reported by patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Duloxetine, a dual serotonin/noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, may improve cognitive deficits in MDD. It is unclear if cognitive improvements occur independently of antidepressant effects with standard antidepressant medications. Methods. Thirty participants with MDD who endorsed cognitive deficits at screening received 12-week duloxetine treatment. Twenty-one participants completed treatment and baseline and posttreatment cognitive testing. The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery was used to assess the following cognitive domains: attention, visual memory, executive function/set shifting and working memory, executive function/spatial planning, decision making and response control, and verbal learning and memory. Results. Completers showed significant cognitive improvements across several domains on tasks assessing psychomotor function and mental processing speed, with additional improvements in visual and verbal learning and memory, and affective decision making and response control. Overall significance tests for executive function tasks were also significant, although individual tasks were not, perhaps due to the small sample size. Most notably, cognitive improvements were observed independently of symptom reduction on all domains except verbal learning and memory. Conclusions. Patients reporting baseline cognitive deficits achieved cognitive improvements with duloxetine treatment, most of which were independent of symptomatic improvement. This trial is registered with NCT00933439

Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE) - CTN 0037: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: There is a need for novel approaches to the treatment of stimulant abuse and dependence. Clinical data examining the use of exercise as a treatment for the abuse of nicotine, alcohol, and other substances suggest that exercise may be a beneficial treatment for stimulant abuse, with direct effects on decreased use and craving. In addition, exercise has the potential to improve other health domains that may be adversely affected by stimulant use or its treatment, such as sleep disturbance, cognitive function, mood, weight gain, quality of life, and anhedonia, since it has been shown to improve many of these domains in a number of other clinical disorders. Furthermore, neurobiological evidence provides plausible mechanisms by which exercise could positively affect treatment outcomes. The current manuscript presents the rationale, design considerations, and study design of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) CTN-0037 Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE) study. Methods/Design: STRIDE is a multisite randomized clinical trial that compares exercise to health education as potential treatments for stimulant abuse or dependence. This study will evaluate individuals diagnosed with stimulant abuse or dependence who are receiving treatment in a residential setting. Three hundred and thirty eligible and interested participants who provide informed consent will be randomized to one of two treatment arms: Vigorous Intensity High Dose Exercise Augmentation (DEI) or Health Education Intervention Augmentation (HEI). Both groups will receive TAU (i.e., usual care). The treatment arms are structured such that the quantity of visits is similar to allow for equivalent contact between groups. In both arms, participants will begin with supervised sessions 3 times per week during the 12-week acute phase of the study. Supervised sessions will be conducted as one-on-one (i.e., individual) sessions, although other participants may be exercising at the same time. Following the 12-week acute phase, participants will begin a 6-month continuation phase during which time they will attend one weekly supervised DEI or HEI session

Barriers to implementation of a computerized decision support system for depression: an observational report on lessons learned in "real world" clinical settings

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite wide promotion, clinical practice guidelines have had limited effect in changing physician behavior. Effective implementation strategies to date have included: multifaceted interventions involving audit and feedback, local consensus processes, marketing; reminder systems, either manual or computerized; and interactive educational meetings. In addition, there is now growing evidence that contextual factors affecting implementation must be addressed such as organizational support (leadership procedures and resources) for the change and strategies to implement and maintain new systems.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To examine the feasibility and effectiveness of implementation of a computerized decision support system for depression (CDSS-D) in routine public mental health care in Texas, fifteen study clinicians (thirteen physicians and two advanced nurse practitioners) participated across five sites, accruing over 300 outpatient visits on 168 patients.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Issues regarding computer literacy and hardware/software requirements were identified as initial barriers. Clinicians also reported concerns about negative impact on workflow and the potential need for duplication during the transition from paper to electronic systems of medical record keeping.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The following narrative report based on observations obtained during the initial testing and use of a CDSS-D in clinical settings further emphasizes the importance of taking into account organizational factors when planning implementation of evidence-based guidelines or decision support within a system.</p

The Concise Health Risk Tracking-self Report: Psychometrics Within A Placebo-controlled Antidepressant Trial Among Depressed Outpatients

Background/aims: While substantial prior research has evaluated the psychometric properties of the 12-item Concise Health Risk Tracking-Self Report (CHRT-SR12), a measure of suicide propensity and suicidal thoughts, no prior research has investigated its factor structure, sensitivity to change over time, and other psychometric properties in a placebo-controlled trial of antidepressant medication, nor determined whether symptoms change throughout treatment. Methods: Participants in the multi-site Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response in Clinical Care (EMBARC) study (n=278) provided data to evaluate the factor structure and sensitivity to change over time of the CHRT-SR12 through eight weeks of a clinical trial in which participants received either placebo or antidepressant medication (sertraline). Results/Outcomes: Factor analysis confirmed two factors: propensity (comprised of first-order factors including pessimism, helplessness, social support, and despair) and suicidal thoughts. Internal consistency (α’s ranged from 0.69–0.92) and external validity were both acceptable, with the total score and propensity factor scores significantly correlated with total scores and single-item suicidal-thoughts scores on the self-report Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms and the clinician-rated 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Through analyzing CHRT-SR12 changes over eight treatment weeks, the total score and both the factors decreased regardless of baseline suicidal thoughts. Change in clinician-rated suicidal thoughts was reflected by change in both the total score and propensity factor score. Conclusions/interpretation: These results confirm the reliability, validity, and applicability of the CHRT-SR12 to a placebo-controlled clinical trial of depressed outpatients receiving antidepressant medication

Cerebral Blood Perfusion Predicts Response To Sertraline Versus Placebo For Major Depressive Disorder In The Embarc Trial

Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) has been associated with brain-related changes. However, biomarkers have yet to be defined that could “accurately” identify antidepressant-responsive patterns and reduce the trial-and-error process in treatment selection. Cerebral blood perfusion, as measured by Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL), has been used to understand resting-state brain function, detect abnormalities in MDD, and could serve as a marker for treatment selection. As part of a larger trial to identify predictors of treatment outcome, the current investigation aimed to identify perfusion predictors of treatment response in MDD. Methods: For this secondary analysis, participants include 231 individuals with MDD from the EMBARC study, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigating clincal, behavioral, and biological predictors of antidepressant response. Participants received sertraline (n=114) or placebo (n=117) and response was monitored for 8 weeks. Pre-treatment neuroimaging was completed, including ASL. A whole-brain, voxel-wise linear mixed-effects model was conducted to identify brain regions in which perfusion levels differentially predict (moderate) treatment response. Clinical effectiveness of perfusion moderators was investigated by composite moderator analysis and remission rates. Composite moderator analysis combined the effect of individual perfusion moderators and identified which contribute to sertraline or placebo as the “preferred” treatment. Remission rates were calculated for participants “accurately” treated based on the composite moderator (lucky) versus “inaccurately” treated (unlucky). Findings: Perfusion levels in multiple brain regions differentially predicted improvement with sertraline over placebo. Of these regions, perfusion in the putamen and anterior insula, inferior temporal gyrus, fusiform, parahippocampus, inferior parietal lobule, and orbital frontal gyrus contributed to sertraline response. Remission rates increased from 37% for all those who received sertraline to 53% for those who were lucky to have received it and sertraline was their perfusion-preferred treatment. Interpretation: This large study showed that perfusion patterns in brain regions involved with reward, salience, affective, and default mode processing moderate treatment response favoring sertraline over placebo. Accurately matching patients with defined perfusion patterns could significantly increase remission rates. Funding: National Institute of Mental Health, the Hersh Foundation, and the Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, Peter O’Donnell Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Cente

Characterizing Anxiety Subtypes And The Relationship To Behavioral Phenotyping In Major Depression: Results From The Embarc Study

The current study aimed to characterize the multifaceted nature of anxiety in patients with major depression by evaluating distinct anxiety factors. We then related these derived anxiety factors to performance on a Flanker Task of cognitive control, in order to further validate these factors. Data were collected from 195 patients with nonpsychotic chronic or recurrent major depression or dysthymic disorder. At baseline, participants completed self-report measures of anxiety, depression, and other related symptoms (mania, suicidality) and clinicians administered a structured diagnostic interview and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, including anxiety/ somatization items. Four discrete factors (State Anxiety, Panic, Neuroticism/Worry, and Restlessness/Agitation) emerged, with high degrees of internal consistency. Discriminant and convergent validity analyses also yielded findings in the expected direction. Furthermore, the neuroticism/worry factor was associated with Flanker Task interference, such that individuals higher on neuroticism/worry responded more incorrectly (yet faster) to incongruent vs. congruent trials whereas individuals higher on the fear/panic factor responded more slowly, with no accuracy effect, to the Flanker Task stimuli. These results parse anxiety into four distinct factors that encompass physiological, psychological, and cognitive components of anxiety. While state anxiety, panic and neuroticism/worry are related to existing measures of anxiety, the Restlessness/Agitation factor appears to be a unique measure of general anxious arousal. Furthermore, two factors were independently validated through the Flanker Task. These results suggest that these anxiety domains have distinct behavioral profiles and could have differential responses to distinct treatments

Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE) - CTN 0037: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is a need for novel approaches to the treatment of stimulant abuse and dependence. Clinical data examining the use of exercise as a treatment for the abuse of nicotine, alcohol, and other substances suggest that exercise may be a beneficial treatment for stimulant abuse, with direct effects on decreased use and craving. In addition, exercise has the potential to improve other health domains that may be adversely affected by stimulant use or its treatment, such as sleep disturbance, cognitive function, mood, weight gain, quality of life, and anhedonia, since it has been shown to improve many of these domains in a number of other clinical disorders. Furthermore, neurobiological evidence provides plausible mechanisms by which exercise could positively affect treatment outcomes. The current manuscript presents the rationale, design considerations, and study design of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) CTN-0037 Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE) study.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>STRIDE is a multisite randomized clinical trial that compares exercise to health education as potential treatments for stimulant abuse or dependence. This study will evaluate individuals diagnosed with stimulant abuse or dependence who are receiving treatment in a residential setting. Three hundred and thirty eligible and interested participants who provide informed consent will be randomized to one of two treatment arms: Vigorous Intensity High Dose Exercise Augmentation (DEI) or Health Education Intervention Augmentation (HEI). Both groups will receive TAU (i.e., usual care). The treatment arms are structured such that the quantity of visits is similar to allow for equivalent contact between groups. In both arms, participants will begin with supervised sessions 3 times per week during the 12-week acute phase of the study. Supervised sessions will be conducted as one-on-one (i.e., individual) sessions, although other participants may be exercising at the same time. Following the 12-week acute phase, participants will begin a 6-month continuation phase during which time they will attend one weekly supervised DEI or HEI session.</p> <p>Clinical Trials Registry</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov, <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01141608">NCT01141608</a></p> <p><url>http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01141608?term=Stimulant+Reduction+Intervention+using+Dosed+Exercise&rank=1</url></p

Discovery And Replication Of Cerebral Blood Flow Differences In Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious, heterogeneous disorder accompanied by brain-related changes, many of which are still to be discovered or refined. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) is a neuroimaging technique used to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF; perfusion) to understand brain function and detect differences among groups. CBF differences have been detected in MDD, and may reveal biosignatures of disease-state. The current work aimed to discover and replicate differences in CBF between MDD participants and healthy controls (HC) as part of the EMBARC study. Participants underwent neuroimaging at baseline, prior to starting study medication, to investigate biosignatures in MDD. Relative CBF (rCBF) was calculated and compared between 106 MDD and 36 HC EMBARC participants (whole-brain Discovery); and 58 MDD EMBARC participants and 58 HC from the DLBS study (region-of-interest Replication). Both analyses revealed reduced rCBF in the right parahippocampus, thalamus, fusiform and middle temporal gyri, as well as the left and right insula, for those with MDD relative to HC. Both samples also revealed increased rCBF in MDD relative to HC in both the left and right inferior parietal lobule, including the supramarginal and angular gyri. Cingulate and prefrontal regions did not fully replicate. Lastly, significant associations were detected between rCBF in replicated regions and clinical measures of MDD chronicity. These results (1) provide reliable evidence for ASL in detecting differences in perfusion for multiple brain regions thought to be important in MDD, and (2) highlight the potential role of using perfusion as a biosignature of MDD