NCT03313674

Investigation of Seasonal Variations of Brain Structure and Connectivity in SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Exploratory Investigation of Seasonal Variations in Brain Structure and Connectivity as a Predictor for Depressive Severity

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 23 (actual)
• Sponsor: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a subtype of Major Depressive Disorder, characterized by a recurrent temporal relationship between the season of year, the onset and the remission of a major depressive episode. Estimates of the annual prevalence state that 1-6% of the population will develop SAD with the larger prevalences found at greater extremes in latitude. SAD is most likely triggered by the shortening photoperiod experienced in the winter months leading to a deterioration of mood. Recent cross-sectional neuroimaging studies have found cellular and neurotransmitter changes in response to seasonality, ultimately having an impact on the affect of patients. Conversly, this study aims to investigate the changes in neurocircuitry related to depression and euthymic states. Patients with SAD offer a unique ability to study these changes since they have predictable triggers for the onset of depression (i.e. the winter months) and remission (i.e. the summer months).

Conditions

• Seasonal Affective Disorder
• Major Depressive Disorder
• Neuroimaging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Bright Light Therapy	Light box that emits light at 10,000 lux or higher and has been demonstrated to regulate circadian rhythm that is aberrant in the SAD population

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-11-01
• Primary completion: 2019-10-05
• Completion: 2019-10-05
• First posted: 2017-10-18
• Last updated: 2021-03-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada