The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between brain electrical activity in
elderly depressed patients and response to antidepressant medication treatment. Elderly
patients with depression will be treated for 12 weeks with an antidepressant medication
commonly used in clinical practice called escitalopram (Lexapro). Brain electrical activity
will be assessed using electrophysiological tests. Researchers are interested in whether the
brain electrical activity of elderly people with depression before they start the medication
can tell us who amongst them will improve with antidepressant treatment and to what extent.
They will also determine whether patients' brain electrical activity during the 12 weeks of
medication treatment will change in any way and whether this change will be linked with a
change in the severity of their depression. Researchers hope that information gained from
this study will help to better understand the brain processes associated with depression and
its successful treatment.
Phase:
N/A
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Collaborators:
Forest Laboratories National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)