Many people with depression are treated with a serotonin-specific reuptak inhibitor anti-depressant (SSRI) and feel ''''better''''. Although many people feel ''''better'''', they do not feel completely ''''well''''. Often, individuals continue to complain of cognitive problems such as lack of attention, diminished motivation, and impaired problem-solving. This study looks at whether residual and cognitive symptoms of depression in individuals is affected by the addition of buproprion.

Condition	Intervention	Phase
Depression Major Depressive Disorder Unipolar Depression	Drug: buproprion	Phase III

Further Study Details: 

Primary Outcomes: MADRS overall and question-specific scores; neuropsychiatric assessment changes; hyperactivity measures
Secondary Outcomes: self-report
Expected Total Enrollment:  30

As many as 65-75% of treated patients continue to experience residual symtoms of depression. Cognitive impairments feature frontal cognitive dysfunction. Many experts believe that executive functions are better predictors of functional level than psychiatric diagnosis.

Frontal cognitive impairment and changes in neuroimaging is seen in individuals depleted of tryptophan, a serotonin precursor. These cognitive changes do not improve following serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor treatment and at least one study has found that executive dysfunction predicts non-response to fluoxetine. In many patients, remission of mood symptoms in depression requires medications to target non-serotonergic neurotransmitter systems. Brain areas mediating executive functions receive rich noradrenergic inputs, and norepinephrine is known to be intimately involved in many of the executive functions.

A better understanding of serotonergic and catecholaminergic interactions would enable evidence-based treatment of depression which maximizes executive cognitive functions. This study examines the hypothesis that invididuals treated with buproprion will have higher scores on tests of executive functions and lower scores on depression indices.

Ages Eligible for Study:  18 Years   -   70 Years,  Genders Eligible for Study:  Both

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: depression SSRI-treated

Exclusion Criteria: bipolar disorder SNRI or buproprion treatment treatment-resistant depression seizure disorder bulimia or anorexia nervosa pregnancy

Please refer to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov identifier  NCT00125957

Tara M      617-855-2988 

Massachusetts
      McLean Hospital, Belmont,  Massachusetts,  02478,  United States; Recruiting

Study chairs or principal investigators

Beth L Murphy, MD, PhD,  Principal Investigator,  Mclean Hospital   

Study ID Numbers:  2005P-000502
Last Updated:  August 1, 2005
Record first received:  August 1, 2005
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:  NCT00125957
Health Authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on 2005-08-02