Incomplete response in the treatment of late-life depression (LLD) is a large public health challenge: at least 50% of older people fail to respond adequately to antidepressant pharmacotherapy, even under optimal treatment conditions. Treatment resistant late-life depression (TRLLD) increases risk for early relapse, undermines adherence to treatment for coexisting medical disorders, amplifies disability and cognitive impairment, imposes greater burden on family caregivers, and increases the risk for early mortality, including suicide. Getting to and sustaining remission is the primary goal of treatment, yet there is a paucity of controlled studies of how best to manage TRLLD. To address this gap, we propose a three-site collaborative R01 linking the Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research at the University of Pittsburgh with centers of excellence for LLD research at the University of Toronto and at Washington University in St. Louis. A pilot study by our group of aripiprazole augmentation in 24 incomplete responders to sequential SSRI and SRNI pharmacotherapy found that 50% remitted over 12 weeks with the addition of aripiprazole. Based on these data, we hypothesize that aripiprazole augmentation will be superior to placebo for bringing about and sustaining remission in elderly patients who respond incompletely to venlafaxine XR. We propose to enroll 500 patients aged 60 and older with major depressive disorder at the three sites and treat them openly for 12 weeks with venlafaxine XR (up to 225 mg/d) (phase 1). Participants meeting criteria for incomplete response (N=200) will be randomly assigned to receive either aripiprazole (2.5-15 mg/d;target dose: 10 mg/d) or placebo augmentation of venlafaxine for 12 weeks (phase 2), with the goal of achieving remission (MADRS<10 for two consecutive assessments). Those who remit in phase 2 (N=80) will receive continuation treatment, with the same double-blinded intervention to which they were randomly assigned (phase 3), for 12 weeks to determine the stability of remission. Based on efficacy and tolerability data, we will estimate number needed to treat and number needed to harm, providing a clinically informative estimate of benefits and risks of aripiprazole augmentation for TRLLD. [In addition to the primary goal of assessing these benefits and risks, we will develop evidence advancing personalized treatment for LLD by testing the roles of clinical (comorbid anxiety, medical burden, and executive impairment) and genetic (selected polymorphisms in serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine genes) variables, while controlling for variability in drug exposure for efficacy and tolerability analyses. This approach will allow us to distinguish treatment-specific resistance factors versus general prognostic factors.] This is the A1 resubmission of R01 MH083660. Late-life depression is an extremely common illness;with the changing demographics in the U.S. and other developed nations its public health importance will continue to increase. At least 50% of elderly persons with depression will fail to respond to first-line treatments;such individuals are at increased risk not only for continued suffering but also increased disability, mortality, recurrence of depression, complication of medical issues, and caregiver burden. Thus, treatment-resistant late-life depression (TRLLD) is a significant public health problem. There are is no evidence-based pharmacotherapy for TRLLD;thus, this study seeks to address a major gap in the evidence base for treating depression.

Public Health Relevance

Late-life depression is an extremely common illness;with the changing demographics in the U.S. and other developed nations its public health importance will continue to increase. At least 50% of elderly persons with depression will fail to respond to first-line treatments;such individuals are at increased risk not only for continued suffering but also increased disability, mortality, recurrence of depression, complication of medical issues, and caregiver burden. Thus, treatment-resistant late-life depression (TRLLD) is a significant public health problem. There are is no evidence-based pharmacotherapy for TRLLD;thus, this study seeks to address a major gap in the evidence base for treating depression.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01MH083660-01A1
Application #
7649112
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZMH1-ERB-P (01))
Program Officer
Evans, Jovier D
Project Start
2009-07-23
Project End
2014-06-30
Budget Start
2009-07-23
Budget End
2010-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$574,164
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
004514360
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
Karim, Helmet T; Wang, Maxwell; Andreescu, Carmen et al. (2018) Acute trajectories of neural activation predict remission to pharmacotherapy in late-life depression. Neuroimage Clin 19:831-839
Gebara, Marie Anne; DiNapoli, Elizabeth A; Kasckow, John et al. (2018) Specific depressive symptoms predict remission to aripiprazole augmentation in late-life treatment resistant depression. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 33:e330-e335
Gebara, Marie Anne; Kasckow, John; Smagula, Stephen F et al. (2018) The role of late life depressive symptoms on the trajectories of insomnia symptoms during antidepressant treatment. J Psychiatr Res 96:162-166
Wei, Wenjing; Karim, Helmet T; Lin, Chemin et al. (2018) Trajectories in Cerebral Blood Flow Following Antidepressant Treatment in Late-Life Depression: Support for the Vascular Depression Hypothesis. J Clin Psychiatry 79:
Smagula, Stephen F; Lotrich, Francis E; Aizenstein, Howard J et al. (2017) Immunological biomarkers associated with brain structure and executive function in late-life depression: exploratory pilot study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 32:692-699
Karim, H T; Andreescu, C; Tudorascu, D et al. (2017) Intrinsic functional connectivity in late-life depression: trajectories over the course of pharmacotherapy in remitters and non-remitters. Mol Psychiatry 22:450-457
Smagula, Stephen F; Karim, Helmet T; Lenze, Eric J et al. (2017) Gray matter regions statistically mediating the cross-sectional association of eotaxin and set-shifting among older adults with major depressive disorder. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 32:1226-1232
Cristancho, Pilar; O'Connor, Brendan; Lenze, Eric J et al. (2017) Treatment Emergent Suicidal Ideation in depressed older adults. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 32:596-604
Lenze, Eric J; Ramsey, Alex; Brown, Patrick J et al. (2016) Older Adults' Perspectives on Clinical Research: A Focus Group and Survey Study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 24:893-902
Kaneriya, Shriya H; Robbins-Welty, Gregg A; Smagula, Stephen F et al. (2016) Predictors and Moderators of Remission With Aripiprazole Augmentation in Treatment-Resistant Late-Life Depression: An Analysis of the IRL-GRey Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry 73:329-36

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