Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Early Life Stress and Depression: Molecular and Functional Imaging

ConditionsDepressionTrauma, Psychological
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexFemale
Age20-32
SponsorMclean Hospital

About this trial

Severe childhood adversity accounts for a large portion of psychiatric illness, and an increased risk for major depressive disorder (MDD). For some individuals, childhood adversity has negative psychological and medical consequences; others preserve mental and physical health despite such experiences (they are resilient). In spite of this, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms related to childhood adversity, especially oxidative stress abnormalities in the brain. To fill this gap, this study combines functional, structural, and molecular imaging approaches to examine the role of oxidative stress abnormalities related to childhood adversity.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Females of all races and ethnic origins

Ages from 20 to 32

Right-handed

Capable of providing written informed consent

Disqualifiers

Participants with suicidal ideation where continued study participation is deemed unsafe by the study clinician (these participants will be immediately referred to appropriate clinical treatment)

Pregnant women, or women of childbearing potential who have a positive result on a urine pregnancy test

Failure to meet MRI safety requirements including but not limited to any metal implants or prostheses that cannot be removed, or exposure to shrapnel

Claustrophobia or severe anxiety that might impact participation in neuroimaging

Trial population

Healthy controls, those with depression (current or remitted), and those with depression and history of childhood adversity

Trial design

Design model

Case-control

Time perspective

Prospective

Treatments tested in this trial

Not listed

Trial groups

160 Participants
are grouped into 4 trial groups
Group A: MDD/childhood adversity group
Group B: rMDD/ childhood adversity
Group C: MDD
Group D: Healthy Control

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Immuno-oxidative abnormalities

Redox ratio and glutamate metabolites in the prefrontal cortex

Time frame
Baseline

Secondary outcomes

1

Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activation

Prefrontal cortex activation during a reward task

Time frame
Baseline
2

Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activation in emotional processing

Prefrontal cortex activation during an emotional processing task

Time frame
Baseline
3

Peripheral inflammation

Stress-related pro-inflammatory transcription control pathways

Time frame
Baseline

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Mclean Hospital

Lead sponsor

Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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