Predictors of Treatment Response in Late-onset Major Depressive Disorder
Status:
Suspended
Trial end date:
2017-11-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Depression is a common disorder, especially in old age, where it is associated with
significant morbidity and mortality.
This study will investigate whether there are features of individual patients with major
depression that may predict positive treatment response. The study will invite 40 patients
who have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder with onset after the age of 60 years
to participate. Participants will be recruited from the Mental Health of Older Adults
services at the South London and Maudsley NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust. Participants
will receive usual treatment as set out in standard Care Pathways, used by the clinical care
team. As part of the study, they will undergo a short battery of neuropsychological tests and
a standard MRI brain imaging protocol. The neuropsychological tests and assessment of
depression severity will be carried out twice (at Baseline and Week 12). Data will be
analysed to investigate whether there are features specific to those patients who show a good
response to antidepressant treatment after 12 weeks. Identification of such predictors may
help to stratify treatment approaches in the future and lead to the early identification of
individual patients who may require alternative treatment approaches to standard
antidepressants.