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CompletedNCT05531591ONRUpdated Nov 25, 2024

RCT of Brain Longitudinal Biomarker Study (OPT-Neuro RCT)

A Phase 4 interventional study of Aripiprazole Augmentation and Bupropion Augmentation in Depression, Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment, sponsored by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Completed at 4 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 60 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-11-25.

Sponsored by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was Jul 2024, 2 years 2 months ago, and no results have been posted to the registry.
  • Registered 3 years after the study started (first participant enrolled Aug 2019, registered Aug 2022).
Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
87
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
60 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

The purpose of this study is to assess which antidepressants work the best in older adults who have treatment-resistant depression (TRD), and to test whether treatment-resistant late life depression is associated with declines in memory and attention and brain structure and function.

Read the detailed description

Older adult participants with treatment-resistant depression will be randomly assigned to a Step 1 medication strategy.

  • Adding aripiprazole to current antidepressant medication
  • Adding bupropion to current antideprssant medication
  • Replacing current antidepressant medication with bupropion

If depression is not relieved at the end of 10 weeks, or if participants do not qualify for Step 1, participants will be randomly assigned to a Step 2 medication strategy:

  • Adding lithium to current antidepressant medication
  • Replacing current antidepressant medication with nortriptyline

All medication strategies will be offered in collaboration with participants' own physicians with the the research team providing support and guidance.

After treatment in Step 1 and/or Step 2, participants will enter the Continuation Phase to assess long term follow-up outcomes for 12 months.

Participants in the Optimizing Outcomes of Treatment-Resistant Depression in Older Adults (OPTIMUM) (NCT02960763) study, will also be asked to participate in this clinical trial to gather imaging and biomarker data. The study will test if changes in brain structure and function are associated with decreases in memory. In this study, investigators will conduct a series of assessments/tests, mainly brain imaging and assessments of participant's memory and attention, to better understand how depression is linked to memory and thinking in older persons.

  • Investigators will be collecting blood biomarkers as part of their study procedures. These samples will be used to look at other factors that may relate to depression or memory and attention processes.
  • Mechanisms of Late life depression (LLD)-dementia through functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI): Analyzing mechanisms of the LLD-dementia relationship through fMRI acquisitions and analyses, to capture the specific brain networks implicated in executive function and episodic memory decline.
  • Neuropsychological Data: Including Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Wide Range Achievement Test-4 (WRAT-4) Reading subtest, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) (Color Word Interference, Trail Making and Verbal Fluency).
  • Clinical Scales: Including the Everyday Cognition Scale (E-Cog), Global Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), Performance Assessment of Selfcare Skills (PASS)-Cognitive Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(CIADL) Short version, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and Suicide Risk Assessments (Suicide Questions, Baseline Suicidal Ideation, Suicide Intent Scale, Beck Lethality Scale, Decision Outcome Inventory, Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, and High Suicide Risk Protocol).

Investigators hope that this study will help the scientific community to understand why some people with depressive symptoms that are resistant to treatment in late-life experience declines in their memory and attention and whether effective treatment of such depression reduces that risk. Finally, investigators hope that this study will eventually lead to the development of better treatment options.

02

Conditions studied

  • Depression
  • Dementia
  • Mild Cognitive Impairment
  • Treatment Resistant Depression
  • Major Depressive Disorder
  • Treatment-Refractory Depression
  • Late Life Depression
  • Geriatric Depression

Keywords

  • Comparative Effectiveness Research
  • Pragmatic Clinical Trials
  • Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
  • Research Clinical Trial
  • RCT
03

In context

Dementia

2,172 studies on the registry are indexed under Dementia; 540 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 87 is close to the median of 83 across 1,629 interventional studies indexed under Dementia.

Browse Dementia studies →

Lead sponsor

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is the lead sponsor of 327 studies on the registry; 51 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
60 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Men and women aged 60 and older, with approximately equal proportions aged 60-70 and 70+.
  • Current Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), single or recurrent, as diagnosed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria.
  • Failure to respond adequately to two or more antidepressant treatment trials of recommended dose and length (approximately 12 weeks).
  • PHQ-9 score of 10 or higher.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Dementia; patients screened out due to possible dementia will be referred to a local Memory Clinic or back to their clinician for evaluation to clarify the presence or absence of dementia.
  • Lifetime diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, delusional disorder, or current psychotic symptoms.
  • High risk for suicide (e.g. active Suicidal ideations (SI) and or current/recent intent or plan)). Urgent psychiatric referral will be made in these cases.
  • Non-correctable, clinically significant sensory impairment (e.g., cannot hear well enough to cooperate with interview).
  • Unstable medical illness, including delirium, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or cerebrovascular or cardiovascular risk factors that are not under medical management.
  • Moderate to severe substance or alcohol use disorder, as determined by study physician.
  • Seizure disorder.
  • Parkinson's Disease
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
87 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Aripiprazole Augmentation

    Augment current antidepressant treatment with aripiprazole (tablets), titrated from 2-15 mg daily based on symptom severity and side effects.

    Drug: Aripiprazole Augmentation

  • Experimental
    Bupropion Augmentation

    Augment current antidepressant treatment with bupropion once-daily extended release, titrated from 150-300 mg daily based on symptom severity and side effects.

    Drug: Bupropion Augmentation

  • Experimental
    Switch to Bupropion

    Taper from current antidepressant therapy. Start bupropion once-daily extended, titrated from 150-300 mg daily based on symptom severity and side effects.

    Drug: Switch to bupropion

  • Experimental
    Lithium Augmentation

    Augment current antidepressant treatment with lithium carbonate tablets starting at 300 mg daily, titrated per blood level to 0.4-0.6 mEq/L (milliequivalents/liter).

    Drug: Lithium Augmentation

  • Experimental
    Switch to Nortriptyline

    Taper from current antidepressant therapy. Start on nortriptyline tablets starting at 1 mg per kg of body weight daily, titrated per blood level to 80-120 ng/ml.

    Drug: Switch to nortriptyline

Interventions

  • DrugAripiprazole Augmentation

    Augment current antidepressant treatment with aripiprazole (tablets). Start at 2 mg daily; increase every two weeks (i.e., to 5, 7, 10 mg) to a maximum of 15 mg daily based on symptom severity and side effects.

    Also known as: Abilify

  • DrugBupropion Augmentation

    Augment current antidepressant treatment with bupropion once-daily extended release, starting at 150 mg daily; titrated after four weeks to 300 mg daily based on symptom severity and side effects.

    Also known as: Wellbutrin

  • DrugSwitch to bupropion

    Taper from current antidepressant therapy. Start bupropion once-daily extended release at 150 mg daily; titrated after four weeks to 300 mg daily based on symptom severity and side effects.

    Also known as: Wellbutrin

  • DrugLithium Augmentation

    Augment current antidepressant treatment with lithium carbonate tablets starting at 300 mg daily, titrated per blood level to 0.4-0.6 meQ/L.

    Also known as: Lithium carbonate, Eskalith

  • DrugSwitch to nortriptyline

    Taper from current antidepressant therapy. Start on nortriptyline tablets starting at 1 mg per kg of body weight daily, titrated per blood level to 80-120 ng/ml

    Also known as: Pamelor

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Psychological Well-Being

    Psychological well-being was assessed using the NIH Toolbox Psychological Wellbeing subscales of Positive Affect and General Life Satisfaction, with a T score calculated as the average of these two subscales. Higher scores indicate greater positive affect and life satisfaction. Reference T-score (mean=50, Standard Deviation (SD)=10.

    Time frame: Step 1 (10 weeks), Step 2 (10 weeks), a period of up to 20 weeks

  2. Assessing the change in the Number of Participants With Remission From Depression

    Remission defined as Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale score ≤10. Scale ranges from 0-60 with higher scores indicating higher depressive symptoms.

    Time frame: Step 1 (10 weeks), Step 2 (10 weeks), a period of up to 20 weeks

  3. Safety Outcomes Assessment for Serious Adverse Events

    Assessing; Life threatening illness, hospitalization, or need of medical care over the duration of the study

    Time frame: Step 1 (10 weeks), Step 2 (10 weeks), a period of up to 20 weeks

  4. To observe whether persistent (non-remitting) depression leads to greater cognitive decline (focusing on executive and episodic memory (EEM)-related cognitive domains

    Using baseline differences to compare if non-remitters demonstrate greater decline in EEM than remitters leading to greater cognitive decline using . Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).

    Time frame: Baseline, 6-months, 24-months

Other outcomes

  1. Plasma biomarkers will be analyzed using a customized multiplex protein array platform for the Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP).

    The SASP index will be used to look at circulating proteins related to immune-inflammatory control

    Time frame: Baseline, 6-months, 24-months

07

Study locations

4 sites
  • UCLA Late-Life Mood, Stress, and Wellness Research Program
    Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
  • Washington University School of Medicine Healthy Mind Lab
    Saint Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
  • Columbia University Adult and Late Life Depression Clinic
    New York, New York 10032, United States
  • Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
    Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H4, Canada
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — A cleaned, complete, and de-identified copy of the final data set including administrative and technical metadata records will be made available on the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Data Archive and registered at clinicaltrials.gov.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 25, 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
NCT05531591
Lead sponsor
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Collaborators
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Sep 8, 2022
Start date
Aug 1, 2019
Primary completion
Jul 31, 2024
Completion
Jul 31, 2024
Last update
Nov 25, 2024

Study contacts

Aristotle Voineskos, MD
principal investigator · Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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