A Multi-level Life-span Characterization of Adult-depression and Effects of Medication and Exercise

Summary

This pilot study aims to test a model that predicts that enhanced neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) function in reward and affect-regulation central nervous system (CNS) circuits mediates the antidepressant effects of exercise. State-of-the-art magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, cognitive assessment, accelerometry, genetic, and inflammatory biomarkers will be acquired through the coordination of efforts from several established research programs at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. This pilot study will be used as a platform for testing a causal/mediating role of GABA interneurons in reward processing and affect regulation in humans. This pilot study is not powered for testing a full causal model, but rather is intended to test overall feasibility of the intervention and acquisition of measures (see specific aim 1 below). This is a necessary prerequisite for designing a larger more definitive study of the model, which will be a component of a future grant application. Additionally, the data from this study will be used to test the clinical efficacy of exercise as an adjunctive treatment for late life depression (LLD; Specific Aim 2), as well as imaging, cognitive, and sleep aims (Specific Aims 3 and 4).

Timeline

Start

2015-03

Primary completion

2016-11

Completion

2016-12

Publications

• Background Butters MA, Young JB, Lopez O, Aizenstein HJ, Mulsant BH, Reynolds CF 3rd, DeKosky ST, Becker JT. Pathways linking late-life depression to persistent cognitive impairment and dementia. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2008;10(3):345-57. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2008.10.3/mabutters.
• Background Kohler S, Thomas AJ, Barnett NA, O'Brien JT. The pattern and course of cognitive impairment in late-life depression. Psychol Med. 2010 Apr;40(4):591-602. doi: 10.1017/S0033291709990833. Epub 2009 Aug 6.
• Background Tedeschini E, Levkovitz Y, Iovieno N, Ameral VE, Nelson JC, Papakostas GI. Efficacy of antidepressants for late-life depression: a meta-analysis and meta-regression of placebo-controlled randomized trials. J Clin Psychiatry. 2011 Dec;72(12):1660-8. doi: 10.4088/JCP.10r06531.
• Background Galper DI, Trivedi MH, Barlow CE, Dunn AL, Kampert JB. Inverse association between physical inactivity and mental health in men and women. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006 Jan;38(1):173-8. doi: 10.1249/01.mss.0000180883.32116.28.
• Background Hassmen P, Koivula N, Uutela A. Physical exercise and psychological well-being: a population study in Finland. Prev Med. 2000 Jan;30(1):17-25. doi: 10.1006/pmed.1999.0597.
• Background Barbour KA, Edenfield TM, Blumenthal JA. Exercise as a treatment for depression and other psychiatric disorders: a review. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. 2007 Nov-Dec;27(6):359-67. doi: 10.1097/01.HCR.0000300262.69645.95.
• Background Rimer J, Dwan K, Lawlor DA, Greig CA, McMurdo M, Morley W, Mead GE. Exercise for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Jul 11;(7):CD004366. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004366.pub5.
• Background Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Doraiswamy PM, Watkins L, Hoffman BM, Barbour KA, Herman S, Craighead WE, Brosse AL, Waugh R, Hinderliter A, Sherwood A. Exercise and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Psychosom Med. 2007 Sep-Oct;69(7):587-96. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0b013e318148c19a. Epub 2007 Sep 10.
• Background Erickson KI, Miller DL, Roecklein KA. The aging hippocampus: interactions between exercise, depression, and BDNF. Neuroscientist. 2012 Feb;18(1):82-97. doi: 10.1177/1073858410397054. Epub 2011 Apr 29.
• Background Garza AA, Ha TG, Garcia C, Chen MJ, Russo-Neustadt AA. Exercise, antidepressant treatment, and BDNF mRNA expression in the aging brain. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2004 Feb;77(2):209-20. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2003.10.020.
• Background Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Moore KA, Craighead WE, Herman S, Khatri P, Waugh R, Napolitano MA, Forman LM, Appelbaum M, Doraiswamy PM, Krishnan KR. Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression. Arch Intern Med. 1999 Oct 25;159(19):2349-56. doi: 10.1001/archinte.159.19.2349.
• Background Mather AS, Rodriguez C, Guthrie MF, McHarg AM, Reid IC, McMurdo ME. Effects of exercise on depressive symptoms in older adults with poorly responsive depressive disorder: randomised controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry. 2002 May;180:411-5. doi: 10.1192/bjp.180.5.411.
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• Background Steenland K, Karnes C, Seals R, Carnevale C, Hermida A, Levey A. Late-life depression as a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease in 30 US Alzheimer's disease centers. J Alzheimers Dis. 2012;31(2):265-75. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2012-111922.
• Background Reynolds SL, Haley WE, Kozlenko N. The impact of depressive symptoms and chronic diseases on active life expectancy in older Americans. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 May;16(5):425-32. doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e31816ff32e.
• Background Bridle C, Spanjers K, Patel S, Atherton NM, Lamb SE. Effect of exercise on depression severity in older people: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br J Psychiatry. 2012 Sep;201(3):180-5. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.111.095174.
• Background Vaynman S, Ying Z, Gomez-Pinilla F. Hippocampal BDNF mediates the efficacy of exercise on synaptic plasticity and cognition. Eur J Neurosci. 2004 Nov;20(10):2580-90. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03720.x.
• Background Lebowitz BD, Pearson JL, Schneider LS, Reynolds CF 3rd, Alexopoulos GS, Bruce ML, Conwell Y, Katz IR, Meyers BS, Morrison MF, Mossey J, Niederehe G, Parmelee P. Diagnosis and treatment of depression in late life. Consensus statement update. JAMA. 1997 Oct 8;278(14):1186-90.
• Background Pampallona S, Bollini P, Tibaldi G, Kupelnick B, Munizza C. Patient adherence in the treatment of depression. Br J Psychiatry. 2002 Feb;180:104-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.180.2.104.
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• Background Wilkinson, GS, Robertson, GJ. WRAT4 Wide Range Achievement Test professional manual (4th ed.). Lutz, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources, 2006.
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• Gujral S, Aizenstein H, Reynolds CF 3rd, Butters MA, Grove G, Karp JF, Erickson KI. Exercise for Depression: A Feasibility Trial Exploring Neural Mechanisms. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019 Jun;27(6):611-616. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2019.01.012. Epub 2019 Jan 17.

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