Disruptions of Brain Networks and Sleep by Electroconvulsive Therapy

Launched by WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · Jun 6, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) affects sleep and brain activity in people with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). TRD is a type of depression that doesn’t improve with standard treatments like medication. The researchers want to understand how ECT, which works by inducing controlled seizures to help relieve depression, influences sleep patterns and how the brain communicates during different levels of alertness.

To participate in this study, individuals aged 16 to 74 who have been referred for their first course of ECT due to TRD may be eligible. Participants should have tried at least two different antidepressant medications without success. However, people with schizophrenia or related disorders, or those who can’t use a special sleep recording device called the Dreem, won’t be able to join the trial. If you qualify and choose to take part, you can expect to undergo ECT while the researchers monitor your sleep and brain activity to help improve understanding of how this treatment works.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Referral for initial ECT index course for Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD), unipolar major depressive disorder or bipolar depression. Historic failure of response or remission to at least two antidepressant medications of sufficient dose and duration will be used for TRD diagnostic.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Diagnoses of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders.
• • Subjects who are unable to tolerate the Dreem device for sleep recordings will be excluded from the study.