CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT00200902Updated Aug 13, 2024Results posted

Evaluation of Depression Symptoms and Brain Activity Associated With Response to Treatment of Depression

A Phase 4 interventional study of Venlafaxine (Effexor), Duloxetine (Cymbalta), Escitalopram (Lexapro) and Placebo in Depression, sponsored by University of California, Los Angeles. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-08-13.

Sponsored by University of California, Los Angeles · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
88
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This study will use measurements of depression symptoms and brain activity to determine what factors may influence an individual's response to treatment for depression.

Read the detailed description

We are using depression symptom measurements and measurements of brain electrical activity (EEG) to determine what factors may influence whether a patient is likely to show a response to antidepressant medication, placebo, or only clinical visits (without the use of pills) during a treatment trial for depression.

02

Conditions studied

  • Depression

Keywords

  • Major depressive disorder
  • MDD
  • Antidepressant
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In context

Depression

8,057 studies on the registry are indexed under Depression; 1,641 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 88 is close to the median of 84 across 6,720 interventional studies indexed under Depression.

Browse Depression studies →

Lead sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles is the lead sponsor of 1,142 studies on the registry; 192 are open to participants now.

Of its 91 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 66 (73%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Clinical diagnosis of unipolar major depression

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Substance abuse
  • Psychotic disorder
  • History of severe head trauma
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Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Factorial assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator)
Enrollment
88 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    MED

    For medication treatment, three different types were utilized and assigned specifically to each subject depending on their condition: MED 1: Venlafaxine XR. MED 2: Duloxetine (Cymbalta) MED 3: Escitalopram (Lexapro)

    Drug: Venlafaxine (Effexor), Duloxetine (Cymbalta), Escitalopram (Lexapro)

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo (PBO)

    Subjects enrolled will receive interpersonal clinical interaction (ICI) along with a placebo treatment (Interaction and assessment as in ICI plus double blinded treatment with placebo tablets).

    Other: Placebo

  • Other
    Interpersonal Clinical Interaction (ICI)

    Subjects assigned to the interpersonal clinical interaction (ICI) will undergo a one-week waiting period after the initial assessment. Visits will involve a session with a research nurse that will be approximately 20 minutes in length; visits at baseline, end of lead-in, and 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks also will include a brief (5-10 minutes) meeting with a physician.

    Behavioral: Interpersonal Clinical Interaction (ICI)

Interventions

  • DrugVenlafaxine (Effexor), Duloxetine (Cymbalta), Escitalopram (Lexapro)

    Subjects assigned to the placebo (PBO) or medication (MED) condition will enter double-blind treatment with either venlafaxine XR, duloxetine, escitalopram, or placebo after lead-in. They will undergo the same schedule, structure, and intensity of visits as in the ICI condition, but also will be randomized to receive treatment with a pill. Subjects randomized to medication will be started on one tablet each morning of either venlafaxine XR 75 mg., duloxetine 30 mg., or escitalopram 10 mg. Dosages will be increased in a double-blinded manner by increasing the number of pills administered by one pill every three to five days until the final dose is achieved (225 mg., 90 mg., and 30 mg. respectively for venlafaxine XR, duloxetine, and escitalopram). In order to maintain blinding during dosage increase, the number of tablets of placebo will be increased every three to five days as well.

  • OtherPlacebo

    Subjects assigned to the placebo (PBO) or medication (MED) condition will enter double-blind treatment with either venlafaxine XR, duloxetine, escitalopram, or placebo after lead-in. They will undergo the same schedule, structure, and intensity of visits as in the ICI condition, but also will be randomized to receive treatment with a pill. Subjects randomized to medication will be started on one tablet each morning of either venlafaxine XR 75 mg., duloxetine 30 mg., or escitalopram 10 mg. Dosages will be increased in a double-blinded manner by increasing the number of pills administered by one pill every three to five days until the final dose is achieved (225 mg., 90 mg., and 30 mg. respectively for venlafaxine XR, duloxetine, and escitalopram). In order to maintain blinding during dosage increase, the number of tablets of placebo will be increased every three to five days as well.

  • BehavioralInterpersonal Clinical Interaction (ICI)

    Interaction with and assessment by clinical research personnel on a fixed schedule, with the pharmacotherapeutic alliance assessed both by research personnel and subjects.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Response as Assessed by Participants' Change in Depression Rating

    Comparison of treatment arms (Medication + ICI, Placebo+ICI, and ICI only). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D-17) used here is a 17-item scale that measures severity of depression. Items are individually scored from 0-4 or from 0-2 depending on the item, and the individual scores for each item are added to comprise one score. Higher scores indicate greater severity of depression. Possible scores on the scale range from a minimum of zero (0) to a maximum of 52.Response is defined as a 50% decrease in HAMD-17 scoring. Remission defined as a HAMD-17 score of 7 or less.

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8

  2. Average Change in 3 Weeks of Participant Treatment Expectations

    Patient Attitudes and Expectations Form used for assessing expectation. The California Pharmacotherapy Alliance Scale, a measure associated with outcomes of antidepressant pharmacotherapy, used to measure participants' perceptions of: (a) participants' commitment to treatment; (b) participants' working capacity; (c) treatment providers' understanding and involvement; and (d) goal and working strategy consensus between participant and treatment provider. This is a 24-item questionnaire with a 7-point Likert scale (1 = not at all, 7 = very much so). Total score ranges from a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 120. The score is determined by a combination of negative and positive items. To assure negative items are reflected, subtract each of the negative item ratings from 8; for example, a rating of 1 becomes 7 (8 minus 1). The scores are computed by summing the items and dividing the total by 6 to procure the mean rating. A lower score indicates a worse outcome.

    Time frame: Averaged over 3 time points (Baseline, randomization, and end of lead-in)

  3. Change in Hamilton Depression Assessment Score

    Comparison of treatment arms (Medication + ICI, Placebo+ICI, and ICI only). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale used here is a 17-item scale that measures severity of depression. Items are individually scored from 0-4 or from 0-2 depending on the item, and the individual scores for each item are added to comprise one score. Higher scores indicate greater severity of depression/worse outcome. Possible scores on the scale range from a minimum of zero (0) to a maximum of 52.

    Time frame: Baseline,Week 8

07

Results

Posted Apr 10, 2019
Limitations and caveats
Individuals entering this study were aware that they might be assigned to a treatment condition that did not involve the use of medication; it is not certain that they are representative of people with MDD who would enter clinical trials for MDD.

Participant flow

133 subjects were screened for eligibility and 88 were eligible for enrollment between 8/19/05 - 8/7/08 at the UCLA Laboratory of Brain, Behavior, and Pharmacology. 88 participants were randomized however, n=67 for many of the measures as subjects who did not complete the Week 8 visit were not included in the analysis.

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneMEDS + ICIPlacebo+ICIICI Alone
Started392920
Completed292612
Not completed1038

Outcome measures

PrimaryResponse as Assessed by Participants' Change in Depression Rating

Comparison of treatment arms (Medication + ICI, Placebo+ICI, and ICI only). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D-17) used here is a 17-item scale that measures severity of depression. Items are individually scored from 0-4 or from 0-2 depending on the item, and the individual scores for each item are added to comprise one score. Higher scores indicate greater severity of depression. Possible scores on the scale range from a minimum of zero (0) to a maximum of 52.Response is defined as a 50% decrease in HAMD-17 scoring. Remission defined as a HAMD-17 score of 7 or less.

Time frame:
Baseline, Week 8
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
Response as Assessed by Participants' Change in Depression Rating
ParticipantsMEDICATIONSPlacebo (PBO)Interpersonal Clinical Interaction (ICI)
Responders17111
Remitters990
PrimaryAverage Change in 3 Weeks of Participant Treatment Expectations

Patient Attitudes and Expectations Form used for assessing expectation. The California Pharmacotherapy Alliance Scale, a measure associated with outcomes of antidepressant pharmacotherapy, used to measure participants' perceptions of: (a) participants' commitment to treatment; (b) participants' working capacity; (c) treatment providers' understanding and involvement; and (d) goal and working strategy consensus between participant and treatment provider. This is a 24-item questionnaire with a 7-point Likert scale (1 = not at all, 7 = very much so). Total score ranges from a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 120. The score is determined by a combination of negative and positive items. To assure negative items are reflected, subtract each of the negative item ratings from 8; for example, a rating of 1 becomes 7 (8 minus 1). The scores are computed by summing the items and dividing the total by 6 to procure the mean rating. A lower score indicates a worse outcome.

Time frame:
Averaged over 3 time points (Baseline, randomization, and end of lead-in)
Reported as:
Mean · units on a scale
Average Change in 3 Weeks of Participant Treatment Expectations
units on a scaleMedication (MED)Placebo (PBO)Interpersonal Clinical Interaction (ICI)
Average Change in 3 Weeks of Participant Treatment Expectations3.55 ± .783.94 ± .613.17 ± 1.16
PrimaryChange in Hamilton Depression Assessment Score

Comparison of treatment arms (Medication + ICI, Placebo+ICI, and ICI only). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale used here is a 17-item scale that measures severity of depression. Items are individually scored from 0-4 or from 0-2 depending on the item, and the individual scores for each item are added to comprise one score. Higher scores indicate greater severity of depression/worse outcome. Possible scores on the scale range from a minimum of zero (0) to a maximum of 52.

Time frame:
Baseline,Week 8
Reported as:
Mean · HAMD score
Change in Hamilton Depression Assessment Score
HAMD scoreMedication (MED)Placebo (PBO)Interpersonal Clinical Interaction (ICI)
Percent Change in HAM-D-0.46 ± 0.31-0.36 ± 0.39-0.05 ± 0.27
Change in HAM-D-10.05 ± 6.60-7.59 ± 7.98-1.37 ± 5.27

Adverse events

Collected over 8 weeks. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Medication—0/39 (0%)0/29 (0%)
Placebo (PBO)—0/29 (0%)0/26 (0%)
Interpersonal Clinical Interaction (ICI)—0/20 (0%)0/12 (0%)

Baseline characteristics

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Medication Treatment (MED)PlaceboInterpersonal Clinical InteractionTotal
<=18 years0000
Between 18 and 65 years39292088
>=65 years0000
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Medication Treatment (MED)PlaceboInterpersonal Clinical InteractionTotal
Mean41.67 ± 13.6341.75 ± 14.3543.1 ± 12.741.96 ± 13.74
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Medication Treatment (MED)PlaceboInterpersonal Clinical InteractionTotal
Female25181255
Male1411833
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Medication Treatment (MED)PlaceboInterpersonal Clinical InteractionTotal
United States29261267
08

Study locations

1 site
  • UCLA Laboratory of Brain, Behavior, and Pharmacology
    Los Angeles, California 90024, United States
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Leuchter AF, Hunter AM, Tartter M, Cook IA. Role of pill-taking, expectation and therapeutic alliance in the placebo response in clinical trials for major depression. Br J Psychiatry. 2014 Dec;205(6):443-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.113.140343. Epub 2014 Sep 11. PubMed 25213159 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 13, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00200902
Lead sponsor
University of California, Los Angeles
Collaborators
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), Eli Lilly and Company, Wyeth is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer
Responsible party
Andrew F. Leuchter (Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 20, 2005
Start date
Aug 2005
Primary completion
Jun 2009
Completion
Jun 2009
Results posted
Apr 10, 2019
Last update
Aug 13, 2024

Study contacts

Andrew F. Leuchter, MD
principal investigator · University of California, Los Angeles

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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