Depressed
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this project is to learn more about the different ways in which people process information that is stressful and rewarding, and how abnormalities in these two processes are related to depression.
Detailed description
Participants will participate in two 3-hour sessions separated by a week at Providence Care, Mental Health Services, and a third, 1.5-hour session at the Queen's MRI Facility. At the first session participants will complete a packet of questionnaires about their mood and take part in an interview about their mood, medications, drug use, and any other symptoms, as well as an interview about their relationships with their parents and any experiences of abuse. At the second session participants will participate in a stress test, which involves giving a speech to a panel. The investigators will also collect saliva samples to look at stress hormones. Participants will also complete a task on the computer that involves looking at cartoon faces and making decisions about them. At the third session, the investigators take images of of participant's brain using a magnetic resonance scanner. Participants are invited to participate in a 6-month follow-up for this study, which would involve the same procedure as outline above.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
University Health Network, Toronto
University of Calgary
Harvard University
McGill University
Dr. Kate Harkness
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
For Depressed Participants: Inclusion Criteria: * Outpatients aged 18-65 * Currently suffering from unipolar depression * Fluency in English, sufficient to complete the interviews and self-report questionnaires
Exclusion criteria
* Clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, current alcohol/substance dependence, or significant medical comorbidity * Treatment-resistant (defined as failing more than 3 trials of anti-depressant medication) * History of neurological insult (e.g., concussion), neurological disease, seizure disorder * Smokers * Pregnant women * Endocrine disorders * High suicidal risk, defined by clinician judgement For Healthy Control Participants: Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18-65 * No history of Axis I disorders according to DSM-IV-TR criteria, as determined by the SCID * No first-degree relatives diagnosed with bipolar disorder * Fluency in English, sufficient to complete the interviews and self-report questionnaires
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Stress Sensitivity: Salivary Hormone and Stress Challenge Test (TSST) | 2 hours after beginning of Time B Appointment | Participants are required to give a speech and an arithmetic test in front of a panel. Saliva samples are collected at 8 points throughout the test. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire (MASQ) | Administered at first baseline appointment and covers past 2 weeks | Self-report scale of general distress (GD), anhedonic depression (AD), and anxious arousal (AA) symptoms |
| Reward Responsivity: Probabilistic Reward Task | Administered at second baseline appointment | Computerized task that requires participants to choose between two stimuli and develop a response bias to the more frequently rewarded stimulus. |
| Snaith Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS and SHAPS-C) | Administered at first baseline appointment and covers past 2 weeks prior to interview | Self-report of anhedonia symptoms |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed