Investigating the Role of Slow-wave Activity as a Marker of Impaired Plasticity in Major Depressive Disorder
Recruiting
25 years - 50 years
All
Phase
N/A
60 participants needed
1 Location
Brief description of study
This research study aims to examine the role of sleep slow-wave activity (SWA) in modulating mood by testing the model that disrupting SWA during sleep can prevent homeostatic decreases in plasticity, thereby increasing plasticity and improving mood in individuals with MDD. Forty males and females with MDD (25-50 yo), and a group of twenty controls with no history of mood disorders will spend two nights in the laboratory: one baseline night of sleep, and one night where slow-wave sleep will be disrupted utilizing a validated procedure. Following each laboratory night, markers associated with net synaptic strength and plasticity will be assessed using several independent, but indirect indices including waking EEG theta power, metrics derived from transcranial magnetic stimulation, serum derived BDNF, and behavioral measures of learning and memory.
Detailed description of study
If you agree to join the study, you will
be asked to complete the following research procedures: You will first attend a
3 hour screening session. You and the study staff will discuss the study
details and sign the consent form. You will then complete some questionnaires
about your sleep, thoughts, and feelings. You will also have an interview that
will include questions about your history of mental health symptoms. At this
visit, you will also take a tour of lab where the TMS will take place. For 5
days prior to your in-lab stays, you will be asked to wear a wrist worn device
which measures activity levels during the day and at night while completing a
sleep diary each day. Visits 2 and 3 will be conducted at the Sleep Center
located at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. You will be asked to arrive at the Sleep
Center at 8pm. You will be asked to wear several sensors designed to measure
sleep while also having an overnight sleep study. The following morning, you
will have a blood sample taken, be provided with breakfast, complete
computerized tasks and complete the TMS protocol. Afterwards you will be free
to leave. The second overnight will be
the same as the first except auditory tones will be played throughout the night
during SWS. In the morning you will follow the same procedures.
Your
participation will last for approximately a month.
Eligibility of study
You may be eligible for this study if you meet the following criteria:
- Conditions: Depression,healthy controls
-
Age: 25 years - 50 years
-
Gender: All
Must be right-handed
Primary Language is English
Normal Cognition
Normal hearing
Normal (or corrected) vision
Currently Depressed (or never been depressed)
Must sleep between 6 and 9 hours each night, must go to bed between 9pm and 12am.
Updated on
19 Feb 2024.
Study ID: 832986
