NCT01902004

Brain Aging and Treatment Response in Geriatric Depression

Treatment of Geriatric Depression With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Double-blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Namenda (Memantine) Augmentation of Lexapro (Escitalopram) in Depressed Patients at Least 60 Years of Age

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 4
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 115 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of California, Los Angeles · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The proposed project will evaluate the role of neuroimaging biomarkers of brain aging (i.e., neurodegenerative and vascular brain changes) and mild cognitive impairment in the patterns of treatment response to memantine combined with escitalopram compared to escitalopram and placebo.

Detailed description

This study is designed to conduct a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of Namenda (Memantine) as an augmentation to Lexapro (Escitalopram) in depressed older adults 60 years of age and older. Throughout the course of the study, the investigators anticipate screening about 400 subjects to recruit 134 participants in the first four years. This study will require that the subjects complete up to 20 (twenty) visits in 12 (twelve) months to the study site during their participation. The purpose of this study is to determine whether Namenda (memantine) when taken in combination with Lexapro (escitalopram), may improve the quality of treatment response by making it faster and more complete, and also by improving thinking and memory in comparison to Lexapro taken with a placebo. Enrolled subjects will be provided with 10-20 mg of escitalopram for 12 months, and concurrently randomly assigned to either memantine or placebo groups. The investigators will also examine the safety and tolerability (how well the treatment works and the side effects) of a combination of Namenda and Lexapro as compared to placebo and Lexapro in subjects with major depressive disorder and mild cognitive impairment who are at least 60 years of age. Memantine is likely to accelerate and enhance antidepressant response to escitalopram and improve cognitive performance. Subjects with amnestic mild cognitive impairment or biomarkers of brain aging at baseline are likely to have preferential response to the combination of memantine and escitalopram compared to escitalopram and placebo, thus identifying a more personalized treatment approach in the high-risk subgroups for poor clinical outcomes.

Conditions

• Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
• Depression

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Escitalopram	All subjects will receive 10 to 20mg of escitalopram open-label throughout the trial. Participants will begin taking one 10mg capsule once per day, and this dosage may be increased or decreased depending on the participant's response to the medication. Participants will continue on their assigned dosage of escitalopram until treatment completion.
DRUG	Memantine	Memantine dosage will be 5 to 20mg a day. Participants will initially take one 5mg capsule once a day, which will be gradually increased to a maximum of 10mg capsules twice per day.
DRUG	Placebo	Placebo pills will be taken in combination with the active Namenda (Memantine) pills. Participants will initially take 1 capsule per day, which will be increased to a maximum of 1 capsule twice per day.

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-10-01
• Primary completion: 2019-01-23
• Completion: 2019-01-23
• First posted: 2013-07-17
• Last updated: 2019-10-15
• Results posted: 2019-10-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States