Brain Imaging Techniques That Predict Antidepressant Responsiveness

Inclusion Criteria

• Intervention Group:
• Right-handed,
• Be able to lie still on their back for about 120 minutes,
• Meet DSM-IV criteria for major depression (single or recurrent),
• Have had depressive symptoms for at least 1 month prior to screen visit,
• Must score an 18 or above on the Hamilton-D at both the initial screening visit and first fMRI scanning session,
• Able to understand and speak English.
• Control Group: same as above with the exception of no diagnosis of psychiatric disorder.

Exclusion Criteria

• Any history of seizures,
• Current medical disorders that might make interpretation of scan data difficult,
• Diabetes requiring insulin treatment,
• A serious heart disorder or subjects who have had a heart attack within the last 3 months,
• Subjects who meet DSM-IV criteria for alcohol/drug abuse or dependence within the last six months,
• Other current DSM-IV Axis I or Axis II diagnoses,
• A personal or family history of bipolar disorder,
• Current use of medication that affects central nervous system (CNS) function,
• Participation in the last 30 days in a clinical study involving an investigational drug,
• A subject with metallic implants, such as prostheses, shrapnel or aneurysm clip-S, or persons with electronic implants, such as cardiac pacemakers. The magnetic field generated by the MRI machine can cause a displacement or malfunctioning of these devices.
• A subject who is claustrophobic,
• Female subjects who are pregnant,
• A subject at serious risk for suicide,
• Diagnosis of cancer in the past 3 years and/or has active neoplastic disease,
• Nonresponse to 2 adequate trials of antidepressant treatment,
• Nonresponse to 2 adequate trials of an empirically supported psychotherapy.