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CompletedPhase 2

Elucidating the Neurocircuitry of Irritability With High-Field Neuroimaging to Identify Novel Therapeutic Targets

NCT05046184 · UNIKET · University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Closed to entry
Status
Not accepting participants
Phase 2
Phase
165
Target enrolment
1
Study sites
1 US states

What it is testing

Summary

The study is investigating dysfunctions in neurocircuitry in regards to irritability with healthy controls (HC) and individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) by performing MRIs. The MDD group will also be randomized to receive ketamine or midazolam to investigate changes post-treatment in neurocircuitry with regards to irritability.

Summary as written by the trial’s own sponsor and published on ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. It is the sponsor’s description, reproduced unedited, not an assessment by this site.

What counts as success

Primary outcome measures

  • Resting state functional connectivity.

    Measured over Baseline

  • Striatal response to frustrative nonreward (FNR).

    Measured over Baseline

  • Treatment-related change in striatum-habenula functional connectivity.

    Measured over Baseline, at 14 days

  • Treatment-related change in striatal response to FNR.

    Measured over Baseline, at 14 days

A trial succeeds or fails on its primary outcome, declared in advance. Everything else it reports is secondary by definition.

Who can take part

Eligibility, as published

18 Years to 65 Years
Ages
All
Sex
Accepted
Healthy volunteers
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Male or female subjects, 18-65 years of age and body weight less than or equal to 120 kg on baseline visit. 2. Participants must have a level of understanding of the English language sufficient to agree to all tests and examinations required by the study and must be able to participate fully in the informed consent process. 3. For Healthy Controls: Subjects must be free of any lifetime psychiatric condition based on the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). For MDD: Subjects must meet Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for current unipolar depression \[major depressive disorder (MDD) or persistent depressive disorder (PDD) in a current major depressive episode (MDE)\] based on MINI. 4. A woman of childbearing potential who is sexually active with a male must agree to use an acceptable method of contraception \[defined as either one highly effective (permanent sterilization, intrauterine device or hormonal implant) or two other forms of contraception (such as oral contraceptive pill and condom)\] to avoid pregnancy throughout the study. Throughout the study and for 90 days (one spermatogenesis cycle) after receiving the last dose of study drug (ketamine/midazolam) man who is sexually active with a woman of childbearing potential must use an acceptable method of contraception (described above) with his female partner and must agree not to donate sperm. 5. Subjects must either be free of psychotropic medications (including antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers, sedative/hypnotics, dopamine agonists, stimulants, buspirone, and triptans) and certain anticonvulsants (topiramate and levetiracetam) or be stable on these medications for four weeks prior to the baseline visit \[first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan\]. 6. Subjects with MDD should be willing to participate in neuroimaging scans before and after infusions, and be willing to undergo infusions with study drug. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia or any psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, pervasive developmental disorder or intellectual development disorder. 2. Current diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa or bulimia. Comorbid anxiety, stress and trauma-related disorders are permitted as long as unipolar depression is the primary diagnosis. 3. Diagnosis of a moderate or severe substance use disorder within the past 6 months per MINI; all subjects must have a negative urine toxicology test on the day of the MRI, prior to the scan. 4. Female subjects who are pregnant, nursing, for may become pregnant. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative urine pregnancy test on the day of the fMRI, prior to scan, and on days of study drug infusion, prior to infusion. 5. Any unstable medical illnesses including hepatic, renal, gastroenterologic, respiratory, cardiovascular (including ischemic heart disease), endocrinologic, immunologic, or hematologic disease. 6. Inadequately treated obstructive sleep apnea (STOP-Bang score of 5-8 if untreated, if using positive airway pressure device then past-month apnea hypopnea index ≥ 15 per hour representing moderate or higher severity). 7. Presence of a significant neurological disease such as Parkinson's disease, primary or secondary seizure disorders, intracranial tumors, or severe head trauma. 8. Presence of neurocognitive or dementing disorders. 9. Clinically significant abnormalities of laboratories, physical examination (including unstable hypertension - systolic blood pressure \>170, diastolic blood pressure \>100), or electrocardiogram at screening visit. 10. Subjects judged to be at serious and imminent suicidal or homicidal risk by the PI or another study-affiliated psychiatrist. 11. Any contraindications to MRI, including pacemakers or metallic objects in the body. 12. Any claustrophobia or other conditions which may result in inability to lie still in the MRI scanner for 1 hour or more. 13. Allergy to ketamine or midazolam in subjects with MDD. 14. Must not be on any prohibited concomitant medication.

Where

1 study site

FacilityCityRegionCountry
UT Southwestern Medical CenterDallasTexasUnited States

On the registry

Contact the trial directly

This site does not enrol anyone and is not involved in this trial. To ask about taking part, use the sponsor’s own contact details on the official registry record, which is also where the most current version of everything above lives.

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NCT05046184 on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Last updated in the registry 2025-05-08. Registry records change; this page reflects the data build of 2026-08-25.

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Where this trial sits