Heart Rate Variability in Depression

Emory University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Video Task; Other: Imaginal Task

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02525978

IRB00082047

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to understand if there is a relationship between the way that emotions are regulated by the brain and the way that heart rate is regulated by the brain. The study also seeks to understand whether having depression changes the way that emotions and heart rate are regulated.

Enrollment: 8 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Ages 18-65 years
• Able to understand and provide informed consent
• Male and female

Depressed Subjects:

• Current diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) and currently in an major depressive episode (MDE)
• Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology (QIDS-SR16) score of 11 or greater
• Anticipated treatment with ketamine infusion for depression

Exclusion criteria

• Current daily use of tricyclic antidepressants
• Current diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia or heart failure
• Pregnancy
• Current use of cardiac medications of the class beta-blockers
• Current treatment with deep brain stimulation for any reason

Healthy Controls:

• Current psychiatric treatment, including use of antidepressants or daily use of anxiolytic medication

Depressed Subjects:

• Previous history of ketamine infusion for depression
• Psychotic symptoms
• Active co-morbid psychiatric diagnosis including anxiety disorder or personality disorder that significantly affects the current clinical condition, as determined by medical records

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

8 participants in 2 patient groups

Healthy Controls

Experimental group

Description:

Healthy controls will complete the video task and imaginal task in one session

Treatment:

Other: Imaginal Task

Behavioral: Video Task

Depressed + Ketamine

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD) who are scheduled to receive ketamine infusions will complete the video task and imaginal task twice. The first visit will be before any ketamine treatment. The second visit will be within 1 week after first ketamine infusion. This is NOT at treatment study. Study inclusion is open to participants with MDD who are already planning to receive ketamine treatment at Emory. No treatment is offered through this study.

Treatment:

Other: Imaginal Task

Behavioral: Video Task