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Adjunctive Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Cognition in Major Depression

NCT00760097 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE4 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 18

Last updated 2013-02-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

People who have depression often have symptoms besides sad mood. Cognitive symptoms, such as poor memory, concentration, and decision making, are associated with disability in many spheres of life, and these symptoms often persist even when antidepressant treatment improves other symptoms (mood, energy, sleep, anxiety). Antidepressants alone fail to produce full remission for many patients, so it is important to study adjunctive treatments which can be added onto medication treatment and help restore cognitive function. The method of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown by others to improve working memory and cognitive functions, and also to help with other symptoms of depression. tDCS involves passing a small, constant current between saline-moistened pads placed on the scalp. In this proposed study, 20 individuals with major depression who have cognitive difficulties despite taking antidepressants will participate. Over the course of a two-week period, each person will receive 5 sessions of either active tDCS or inactive treatments, in addition to their medication. Each session lasts for 20 minutes, and will be administered on alternating days (M-W-F). Assessments of depressive symptoms, cognitive function, and brain activity will be made prior to any sessions, after the first one, and after the fifth (final) session; brain function will be assessed by measuring the brain's electrical activity ("brain waves").

Conditions

Interventions

DEVICE

Transcranial direct stimulation

sessions of 20 minutes each

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Ian Cook, Dr. · University of California, Los Angeles

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
SINGLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
75 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2007-09-30
Primary Completion
2009-05-31
Completion
2009-05-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Diseases
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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00760097 on ClinicalTrials.gov