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DepressionNCT02104128

Effects of Bupropion in Depression

A study testing Bupropion in people with Depression, run by University of Oxford at 1 site in United Kingdom.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will investigate the role of dopaminergic neural systems in the symptoms and treatment of depression. 40 patients who meet DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of depression will be compared to a matched sample of healthy controls. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 50 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Depression
What is being tested?
Bupropion
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
80 participants
Where
1 siteUnited Kingdom
Study dates
Jan 2014to May 2016
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 50 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Participants must have signed an informed consent document indicating they understand the purpose of the study and the procedures required for the study and are willing to participate by complying with the study procedures and restrictions
  • Participants will be male or female and aged between 18 and 50
  • Participants will have a Body Mass Index (BMI) 18 to 36 kg/m2 (inclusive) at the Screening Visit.
  • The MDD participants must satisfy a diagnosis of MDD as determined by structured clinical interview for DSM-V (SCID) conducted by a psychiatrist. The MDD subtypes characterized under DSM-V also will be determined for use during post hoc tests aimed at characterizing further the heterogeneity extant within the MDD population.
  • Participants must be sufficiently fluent in English to complete the emotional and reward tasks.

Who cannot join

  • Current use of psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy (within three weeks of the baseline assessments) or psychological treatment (within 3 months of the baseline assessments)
  • They are left handed (the site of brain activations vary depending on handedness)
  • They are not fluent in English
  • History of stimulant abuse (lifetime; e.g., amphetamine, cocaine), or of alcohol abuse within one year or of alcohol dependence within the lifetime.
  • History of, or current medical conditions which in the opinion of the investigator may interfere with the scientific assessments or safety of the participant, including brain injury, epilepsy/seizures, severe hepatic cirrhosis and CNS tumour.
  • Clinically significant abnormal values for liver function tests, clinical chemistry, urine drug screen, blood pressure measurement and ECG. It is expected that laboratory values will generally be within the normal range for the laboratory. NB clinical significance will be determined by a qualified study medic who will review the results and the participant.
Show all 19Show fewer
  • Current pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Smoker > 10 cigarettes per day or similar levels of tobacco consumption in other forms. History of smoking within 8 weeks of becoming abstinent.
  • Any contraindication to MRI scanning, for example any metal implants in the body that include ferromagnetic objects in their bodies (e.g., metal implants, vessel clips, shrapnel injuries) or with implanted devices which may be damaged by the magnet (e.g., heart pacemakers).
  • Participation in a psychological or medical study involving the use of medication within the last 3 months. Previous participation in any study involving the emotional test battery.
  • Has clinically significant risk of suicidal behaviour.
  • Medical conditions that may alter the hemodynamic parameters underlying the BOLD signal (e.g., inadequately treated hypertension, diabetes mellitus).
  • The following exclusion criteria apply specifically to the participants in the MDD group:
  • Any known allergy, hypersensitivity or intolerance to bupropion or its excipients.
  • Has any contraindication to the use of bupropion.
  • Any medical contraindication, for example conditions or treatments that may alter the absorption of bupropion such as surgical treatments involving the gut.
  • History of or current Axis 1 DSM-V psychiatric disorder (except depression or anxiety disorders such as specific phobia or social anxiety disorder for the MDD group and drug abuse subject to the criteria outlined below).The presence of co-morbid anxiety disorders will be recorded for potential use in post hoc exploratory analyses of the influence of such conditions on the outcome measures
  • The following criteria apply specifically to participants in the healthy control group:
  • History of or current Axis 1 DSM-V psychiatric disorder

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United Kingdom1 site
  • University of Oxford

    Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 7JX

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

This study will investigate the role of dopaminergic neural systems in the symptoms and treatment of depression. 40 patients who meet DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of depression will be compared to a matched sample of healthy controls. The depressed group will receive open label treatment with Bupropion MR (150mg bd) for 6 weeks. The control group will receive no treatment. All participants will be assessed before treatment, after 2 weeks treatment and at 6 weeks treatment. The outcomes assessed will be 1) fMRI estimates of neural response to reward to emotionally valenced stimuli (1st and 2nd assessments), 2) computer based measures of emotional processing (all assessments) and 3) standardised questionnaire measures of depressive symptoms (all assessments). The primary study hypothesis is that altering central dopamine using Bupropion will lead to altered neural responses to rewarding stimuli in the depressed patients (i.e. comparing fMRI outcomes between assessment visits 1 and 2). A secondary hypothesis is that this neural change will predict subsequent symptom response to the bupropion (i.e. comparing symptom scores between assessment visits 1 and 3), Lastly, the study will test the hypothesis that baseline differences in reward circuitry will be particularly associated with symptoms of anhedonia (the inability to experience pleasure).

Conditions
Depression
Being tested
Bupropion
Keywords
Anhedonia, Dopamine, Bupropion, fMRI, emotional processing, reward
Medical subject headings
Depression, Anhedonia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • BupropionDrug

    Also called Zyban

    Bupropion MR will be given open label to all participants in the depression group. Participants will receive 150mg od for one week. The dose will then be increased to 150mg bd for the following 5 weeks. Participants in the control group will recieve no drug. Note that the study is not assessing the safety or efficacy of buprion-- it is using bupropion to assess the neural effects of altering central dopaminergic function in depressed patients.

Study groups in NCT02104128
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Depressed patient given bupropionExperimentalAll depressed patients will be given open label bupropion
Receives: Drug: Bupropion
Control pts given no interventionNo interventionControl participants will be assessed at the same time points as the depressed group, but will be given no drug

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in haemodynamic (i.e. BOLD signal) response

    fMRI data collected during a reward and emotional coding task

    Measured: Baseline and 2 weeks

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Change in questionnaire measures of subject mood and anhedonia

    Standardised questionnaire measures of depressive symptoms and anhedonia.

    Measured: baseline, 2 and 6 weeks

  2. Change in accuracy and reaction time

    Behavioral responses during computer based tasks measures cognition

    Measured: baseline, 2 and 6 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted4 Apr 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2014
  3. Primary completionMay 2016
  4. Study completionMay 2016

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
80 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02104128
Sponsor's protocol ID
Bup_dep_1
Other IDs
13/SC/0569, OxH 1005
Status last verified
May 2016
First submitted
24 Mar 2014
Last updated
12 May 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Bupropion in people with Depression, run by University of Oxford at 1 site in United Kingdom.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 19 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 May 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in haemodynamic (i.e. BOLD signal) response (time frame: Baseline and 2 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 May 2016.

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