The primary objectives of the study are to test whether brain Mono Amine Oxidase-A (MAO-A) levels are elevated in patients with treatment-resistant major depression, and to explore whether MAO-A brain levels predict treatment outcome with Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI) medication in this population.
While Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is prevalent and disabling, compelling recent data from the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR\*D) study indicate that only about half of patients attain remission from MDD, even after multiple antidepressant medication trials. Further, no biomarker has been validated which can select an effective treatment for such patients, presenting critical unmet intellectual and clinical challenges. The recent landmark finding of an markedly elevated level of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) in the brains of depressed patients with MDD compared to controls, using positron emission tomography (PET) with a positron-emitting carbon isotope, (carbon 11 \[11C\]) labeled monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), has provided an unparalleled opportunity to address these challenges. It has long been known that MAOIs are effective for some patients with treatment-resistant MDD, although their side effect profile makes them highly unacceptable both to patients and physicians, severely curtailing their utility. This study seeks to: 1) replicate this study using PET scans in 20 subjects with MDD but extending it to patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). (Results from these participants with be compared to those from 10 non-depressed controls; 2) explore the correlation of the brain MAO-A level biomarker to treatment outcome by treating the 20 PET-imaged TRD patients with an MAOI, hypothesizing that their MAOI response will be related to their level of MAO-A. Brain MAO-A is an ideal candidate biomarker for this study since it appears to be significantly abnormally elevated in MDD, yet it has a broad range of values even among depressed patients. Most importantly, the MAO-A biomarker is known to be the single pharmacologic target of the treatment, making it appear likely that outcome with MAOI treatment will be related to MAO-A.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
13
MAO-Inhibitor 60mg-120mg
New York State Psychiatric Institute
New York, New York, United States
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale Scores 17 at Baseline
HAM-D is a multiple item questionnaire used to provide an indication of depression, and as a guide to evaluate recovery. Each item on the questionnaire is scored on a 3 or 5 point scale, depending on the item, and the total score is compared to the corresponding descriptor. Scale range (0-52): A score of 0-7 is considered to be normal. Scores of 20 or higher indicate moderate, severe, or very severe depression, and are usually required for entry into a clinical trial.
Time frame: Week 00 (baseline)
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale Scores 17 at week12
HAM-D is a multiple item questionnaire used to provide an indication of depression, and as a guide to evaluate recovery. Each item on the questionnaire is scored on a 3 or 5 point scale, depending on the item, and the total score is compared to the corresponding descriptor. Scale range (0-52): A score of 0-7 is considered to be normal. Scores of 20 or higher indicate moderate, severe, or very severe depression, and are usually required for entry into a clinical trial.
Time frame: Week 12
Quick Inventory of Depression- Self Report 16
Quick Inventory of Depression- Self Report assesses 16 depressive symptoms experienced in the past week, based on self-rating, measured at study exit visit Scale range (0-27): Each of the four possible answers to each quiz is given an ascending numerical value from 0 to 3, and the total test score is the sum of the following: The highest number from questions 1-4 The number from question 5 The highest number from questions 6-9 The total of each question from 10-14 The highest number from questions 15-16 Total score interpretation: 0-5 no depression, 6-10 mild depression, 11-15 moderate depression, 16-20 severe depression, 20 and above very severe depression
Time frame: Weeks 00
Quick Inventory of Depression- Self Report 16
Quick Inventory of Depression- Self Report assesses 16 depressive symptoms experienced in the past week, based on self-rating, measured at study exit visit Scale range (0-27): Each of the four possible answers to each quiz is given an ascending numerical value from 0 to 3, and the total test score is the sum of the following: The highest number from questions 1-4 The number from question 5 The highest number from questions 6-9 The total of each question from 10-14 The highest number from questions 15-16 Total score interpretation: 0-5 no depression, 6-10 mild depression, 11-15 moderate depression, 16-20 severe depression, 20 and above very severe depression
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Time frame: Week 04
Quick Inventory of Depression- Self Report 16
Quick Inventory of Depression- Self Report assesses 16 depressive symptoms experienced in the past week, based on self-rating, measured at study exit visit Scale range (0-27): Each of the four possible answers to each quiz is given an ascending numerical value from 0 to 3, and the total test score is the sum of the following: The highest number from questions 1-4 The number from question 5 The highest number from questions 6-9 The total of each question from 10-14 The highest number from questions 15-16 Total score interpretation: 0-5 no depression, 6-10 mild depression, 11-15 moderate depression, 16-20 severe depression, 20 and above very severe depression
Time frame: Week 12
Quick Inventory of Depression- Self Report 16
Quick Inventory of Depression- Self Report assesses 16 depressive symptoms experienced in the past week, based on self-rating, measured at study exit visit Scale range (0-27): Each of the four possible answers to each quiz is given an ascending numerical value from 0 to 3, and the total test score is the sum of the following: The highest number from questions 1-4 The number from question 5 The highest number from questions 6-9 The total of each question from 10-14 The highest number from questions 15-16 Total score interpretation: 0-5 no depression, 6-10 mild depression, 11-15 moderate depression, 16-20 severe depression, 20 and above very severe depression
Time frame: Week 16