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Neurocognitive Effects of FMT in MDD Patients With and Without IBS

Understanding the Neurocognitive Effects of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Major Depressive Disorder Patients With and Without Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Phase 2Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05174273
Enrollment
133
Registered
2021-12-30
Start date
2022-04-06
Completion date
2026-10-21
Last updated
2026-03-19

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Major Depressive Disorder

Keywords

Major depression, IBS, Fecal microbiota Transplantation, Gut, Microbiome, fMRI

Brief summary

This study is a phase 2/3 open-label controlled trial (CT) in which adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and adults who have MDD plus comorbid Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome (IBS) will be assigned to either receive oral Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) or to continue with the treatment they are currently receiving in a Treatment As Usual (TAU) arm. An IBS alone group receiving TAU will be recruited as a clinical control group. The primary goals of this study are to determine effectiveness, safety and tolerability of oral FMT in adults with MDD and in MDD who have comorbid IBS. Additional goals are to characterize patterns and progressions of cognitive and neural correlates associated with MDD and with MDD + IBS and to determine if they improve with FMT. It is known that both, individuals with MDD and those with MDD and IBS show cognitive alterations as well as changes in neural structures, but this study is designed to see if those are changed with treatment response to FMT. Additionally, trial feasibility will be monitored via recruitment rate, study visits adherence and participant retention to inform future trial scalability."

Interventions

BIOLOGICALFecal Microbiota Transplantation

FMT is a technique in which intestinal microbiota are transferred from a healthy screened donor to a patient, with the goal being to introduce or restore a stable microbial community in the gut.

Sponsors

Valerie Taylor
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

This study is a phase 2/3 open-label controlled trial (CT) in which adults with MDD with and without IBS who are being treated with an approved antidepressant medication will be assigned to additionally receive either FMT or to continue with their current treatment in a treatment as usual (TAU) arm. An IBS alone group receiving TAU will be recruited as a clinical control group.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Between 18-60 years of age: Participants should be at least 18 years old and not older than 60 years at the day of screening 2. Have a primary diagnosis of MDD as assessed/confirmed by the M.I.N.I. International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 3. Have had a well-documented inadequate response to at least 2 approved antidepressants 4. A MADRS score of ≥ 19 at screening and visit 2a 5. Have a comorbid diagnosis of IBS. IBS patients can include any of the following: diarrhea predominant IBS (IBS-D), constipation predominant IBS (IBS-C), IBS with mixed bowel habits (IBS-M), or unclassified with IBS (IBS-U) as confirmed by the referring doctor using ROME III criteria 6. Moderate-to-severe IBS symptoms, as indicated by a score of ≥175 on the IBS Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS)

Exclusion criteria

1. Participant meets Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)\[1\] Criteria for the following conditions according to the M.I.N.I: 1. Substance Use Disorder within the last 3 months. \*(Criteria should include Alcohol and non-alcohol substances except Cannabis) 2. Moderate or severe substance use disorder for Cannabis use the last 3 months 3. Active Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia nervosa 4. Schizophrenia, schizoaffective or bipolar disorder 5. Active suicidality 2. Regular intake of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics, or iron supplements for medical purposes in the three (3) months prior to study entry 3. Use of prebiotics or probiotics for medical purposes for more than two (2) weeks within the last three (3) months 4. Conditions causing immunosuppression 5. Women who are breastfeeding, pregnant or seeking to get pregnant during the course of this study. Not using an acceptable method of birth control (implants, injectable, combined oral contraceptives, IUDs, sexual abstinence or a vasectomized partner)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
The Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS)Baseline to week 13a 10-item questionnaire which psychiatrists use to measure the severity of depressive episodes in patients with mood disorders. This will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of adjunct oral FMT as compared to TAU with currently accepted approved therapy for MDD. The MADRS overall score ranges from 0 to 60. Each item yields a score of 0 to 6 and Higher MADRS score indicates more severe depression
IBS Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS)Baseline to week 13The IBS-SSS is a 5-item questionnaire that is used to assess the severity and frequency of abdominal pain, severity of abdominal distention, dissatisfaction with bowel habits, and interference with quality of life over the past 10 days. Scores on the IBS-SSS can range from 0 to 500 with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. Subjects can be categorized as having mild (75-175), moderate (175-300), or severe (\>300) IBS.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Toronto Side Effect Scale (TSES)Baseline to Week 13The TSES is a 32-item instrument that is designed to establish incidence, frequency, and severity of CNS, GI, and sexual side effects. For each side effect, frequency and severity are measured on a 5-point scale. intensity is measured by multiplying frequency and severity.
IBS specific Quality of Life (IBS-QoL)Baseline to Week 13is a self-report 34-item instrument used to assess the impact of IBS and its treatment. used to examine GI tolerability in patients with IBS. The individual responses to the 34 items are summed and averaged for a total score and then transformed to a 0-100 scale for ease of interpretation with higher scores indicating better IBS specific quality of life.
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometryBaseline to Week 13To assess the effect of FMT on microbiome profile (community structure and functional metagenome).

Countries

Canada

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORValerie Taylor, MD, PhD

University of Calgary

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 20, 2026