Depression Treatment Study

STUDY BASICS

Are you age 18-60 years old? Do you often feel down, low, or depressed? Do you have a low or poor opinion of yourself? If so, you may be able to take part in a research study to help find out if an investigational drug combined with brain training can improve depression symptoms. Compensation provided.

STUDY PURPOSE

Depression is a serious and common illness that affects more than 1 out of every 20 Americans. Symptoms of depression can include feeling sad or hopeless, feeling tired or not having energy, having changes in appetite or activity, and even having thoughts of death or suicide. The purpose of this study is to help researchers find out if an investigational drug called ketamine, combined with computer-based brain training, can improve depression symptoms by retraining the brain and changing the way a person processes information. Ketamine is approved by the FDA to be used with other drugs for anesthesia and as a pain reliever during surgical procedures, but is not approved by the FDA to treat depression.

COULD THIS STUDY BE RIGHT FOR YOU?

• Ages 18-60
• Feel down, low, or depressed
• Have a low or poor opinion of yourself
• Not diagnosed with bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression)
• Must have tried at least one standard antidepressant medication without success during the current period of being depressed

WHAT PARTICIPANTS CAN EXPECT

Participation involves a screening visit and 11 study visits over a 5-week period. Study procedures include clinical interviews, questionnaires, a computer-based training, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. fMRI is an imaging technique for measuring brain function. It is non-invasive and does not involve radiation. Participants will also be randomly assigned to receive an intravenous infusion of the investigational study drug (ketamine) or a placebo. The placebo does not contain any study drug.