Early Life Stress and Depression: Molecular and Functional Imaging
Who can join
As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.
- Age
- 20 Years to 32 Years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Compensation
- Not stated
Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.
What to expect
No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.
What participation involves
Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.
- Compensation
- Not stated
- Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
- Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
- Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
- Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.
About this study
In plain language
This study uses brain scans to learn how severe stress in childhood relates to depression and brain health. It looks at oxidative stress, which can damage cells. The study is for women ages 20 to 32.
Severe childhood adversity accounts for a large portion of psychiatric illness, and an increased risk for major depressive disorder (MDD). For some individuals, childhood adversity has negative psychological and medical consequences; others preserve mental and physical health despite such experiences (they are resilient). In spite of this, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms related to childhood adversity, especially oxidative stress abnormalities in the brain. To fill this gap, this study combines functional, structural, and molecular imaging approaches to examine the role of oxidative stress abnormalities related to childhood adversity.
Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.
Eligibility
Who can join
- Women of any race or ethnic background, ages 20 to 32.
- Right-handed.
- Able to give written consent to join the study.
- Not taking medicine when joining. Starting a new medicine later does not automatically end participation.
- Normal vision and hearing, with correction if needed.
- Able to read, write, and speak English fluently.
- No parent, sibling, or child with a history of psychosis, which means losing touch with reality. Adopted people may join and share family history if known.
Who can't join
- Suicidal thoughts that make joining unsafe, or being medically unstable in the study clinician’s judgment. People with unsafe suicidal thoughts will be referred for care.
- Pregnancy or a positive urine pregnancy test.
- Unsafe for MRI scans, such as having metal that cannot be removed; fear of tight spaces, severe anxiety, or trouble lying still.
- Current recreational or illegal drug use; certain past alcohol or drug use problems; or use of drugs or herbs for depression or that affect the stress response.
- Any medicine within 24 hours before scanning; medicine affecting blood flow or pressure within 3 weeks; melatonin within 5 days; or metformin within 6 months.
- Serious or unstable illness; a current infection, allergic reaction, or asthma episode; a bleeding disorder called hemophilia; or poorly controlled diabetes.
- Seizures, a major head injury or concussion, dementia, migraines more than 15 days a month, or past ECT, a treatment using electrical pulses to the brain.
- Past or current OCD, ADHD, psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, autism or related developmental disorders, mental illness due to a physical condition, or anorexia. Bulimia or binge eating disorder is allowed only if it has been absent for at least 2 years.
Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.
Official eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Females of all races and ethnic origins * Ages from 20 to 32 * Right-handed * Capable of providing written informed consent * Currently unmedicated. Note that this criterion applies at enrollment only, and subjects will be informed that they can continue to be in the study if they begin a new medication after enrollment. * Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing * Fluency in written and spoken English * Absence of first-degree relatives with a history of a psychotic disorder or psychotic symptoms; (adopted individuals are eligible to participate but we will probe about family history in case such information is available to the adopted subject) Exclusion Criteria: * Participants with suicidal ideation where continued study participation is deemed unsafe by the study clinician (these participants will be immediately referred to appropriate clinical treatment) * Pregnant women, or women of childbearing potential who have a positive result on a urine pregnancy test * Failure to meet MRI safety requirements including but not limited to any metal implants or prostheses that cannot be removed, or exposure to shrapnel * Claustrophobia or severe anxiety that might impact participation in neuroimaging * Injury or movement disorder that may make it difficult to lie still in the scanner * Any current recreational/illicit drug use as assessed by a urine drug test (covering cocaine, cannabinoids, opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamines, phencyclidine, MDMA, benzodiazepines, methadone, oxycodone, tricyclic antidepressants, and barbiturates) * Use of drug or herbal supplement for depression (e.g., St. John's Wort or SAMe) of those that could affect stress response * Use of any medication in the 24 hours prior to the Scanning procedure (including antibiotics, asthma inhalants, pain relievers, antihistamines, or over-the-counter medications). * Recent use (within 3 weeks) or any medication that affects blood flow or blood pressure, or which is vasodilating/vasoconstricting * Use of Melatonin within 5 days of the Scanning procedure * Metformin use in the past 6 months (for either clinical care or as part of research) * Serious or unstable medical illness, including cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, respiratory, endocrine (hypothyroidism), neurologic, autoimmune disease (such as Lyme, Crohn's), or hematologic disease * Current infectious illness (either transient or chronic); Current episode of allergic reaction or asthma * Hemophilia; Diabetes with poor glucose control; History of chronic migraine (\> 15 days/mo.); History or current diagnosis of dementia * History of seizure disorder * Any history of significant head injury or concussion * Past/current DSM-5 diagnosis of: OCD, ADHD, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, psychotic disorders NOS, bipolar disorder, patients with mood congruent or mood incongruent psychotic features, autism or any other pervasive developmental disorder, organic mental disorder, anorexia, binge eating disorder or bulimia (however a history of bulimia or binge eating disorder is allowable if it has been in remission for at least two years) * History of moderate or severe substance or alcohol use disorder; or, mild substance or alcohol use disorder within the last 12 months (with the exception of cocaine or stimulant abuse, which will lead to automatic exclusion). * History of ECT * Patient is clinically unstable, in the judgment of the clinician
Study sites (1)
MA
- McLean Hospital · Belmont, MA 02478David Crowley · Study contact · 617-855-4432 · djcrowley@mclean.harvard.eduDiego Pizzagalli, PhD · Principal investigatorMore trials in Belmont