Noradrenergic Activity, Cognition and Major Depressive Disorder (YohCog)

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Major Depressive Disorder; Early Life Trauma

Treatments: Drug: yohimbine; Drug: placebo

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02470026

KU3106/2-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study investigates influences of nordadrenergic activity on cognition in patients with major depression regarding influences of early life stress.

Full description

Stress plays a major role in the development and maintenance of major depression disorder. Indeed, various studies demonstrated maladaptive changes in physiological stress regulation systems of depressive patients, i.e. in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system. On a central level, changes of the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system have been demonstrated.This seems to be the case especially in depressive patients with early life traumata. Comparable to the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, the locus coeruleus-noradrenergic system influences not only the physiological stress response, but has also central influence with effects on cognitive functions. Indeed, noradrenergic effects on cognitive functions such as attention, learning and memory have been demonstrated in healthy individuals. Even though deficits in cognitive domains are core symptoms of major depression, the relationship of the noradrenergic system and cognitive processes has rarely been investigated so far.

In this project, the investigators will examine noradrenergic influences via administration of the alpha2-receptor blocker yohimbine on cognitive and emotionally relevant processes in depressive patients and controls. Additionally, the investigators will examine the influence of early life traumata on these relationships. Thus, the investigators will examine participants with and without major depression and with and without early life stress.

Results of this study will improve the understanding of cognitive dysfunctions associated with the noradrenergic system in patients with major depression.

Enrollment: 131 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 60 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• diagnosis of major depression
• experience of early life trauma

Exclusion criteria

• severe illness
• Alzheimer´s
• schizophrenia
• bipolar disorder
• control group: - diagnosis of major depression/ experience of early life trauma

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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131 participants in 2 patient groups

Yohimbine-Placebo

Experimental group

Description:

single low dose treatment with yohimbine on test day 1, placebo on test day 2

Treatment:

Drug: placebo

Drug: yohimbine

Placebo-Yohimbin

Experimental group

Description:

placebo on test day 1, single low dose treatment with yohimbine on test day 2

Treatment:

Drug: placebo

Drug: yohimbine