Previous CAN-BIND Research Studies
- Suicide Markers Study (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Pain, Reward, Attention and Neurocircuitry: Biomarkers of Suicidality
Study leads: Dr. Sakina Rizvi, Dr. Sidney Kennedy (St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto)
Study description: This study hopes to identify biological markers (e.g. brain activity, behavioural tests, genetics) to help us determine what can predict suicide attempt, and identify potential new interventions.
What do participants do in this study?
Participants will complete 5 visits over a one year period. At the first visit and at 1 year, participants will complete scales to measure mood and suicidal risk, as well as undergo brain imaging, blood collection, and tests of learning, memory, attention, and pain perception.Where is the study taking place?
This study is currently recruiting participants in Toronto.Where can I find more information?
Study Coordinator: Hailey Wright
Email: Hailey.Wright@unityhealth.to
Phone: 416-360-4000 ext. 47844- Ketamine-ECT and Depression Study (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Investigations on the Efficacy of Ketamine in Depression in Comparison to Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)
Study lead: Dr. Pierre Blier (University of Ottawa, Ottawa)
Study description: In cases of severe depression, a common treatment approach is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Recently, research has shown that intravenous ketamine can have rapid antidepressant effects in people with severe depression. The goal of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of intravenous ketamine in comparison to ECT. This includes examining how quickly intravenous ketamine works, if it has any effect on thinking or memory, and how many health care resources it requires. This study also aims to identify important factors that can accurately predict an individual’s treatment response to ECT or intravenous ketamine.
What do participants do in this study?
In this study, participants will be randomly assigned to receive ECT or intravenous ketamine. They will receive treatments 3 times a week for 3 or 4 weeks. If a study participant does not respond, they will switch and try the other treatment. Treatment responders will move to the maintenance phase of the study. In this phase, people receiving intravenous ketamine will have treatments less frequently over time. People receiving ECT will have treatments as often as their psychiatrist recommends. The maintenance phase will last 6 months, with a follow-up visit at month 7. To learn more on this study, listen to this podcast episode.Where is the study taking place?
This study is currently recruiting participants in Ottawa, Toronto and Kingston.Where can I find more information?
Study Contact: Dr. Jennifer Phillips
Email: Jennifer.Phillips@theroyal.ca- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Study (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Clinical and Biological Markers of Response to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Depression
Study leads: Dr. Lena Quilty (CAMH, Toronto) and Dr. Rudolf Uher (Dalhousie University, Halifax)
Study description: The goal of this study is to identify biomarkers that predict who responds to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and who responds to antidepressant medication. This will help researchers and clinicians to better develop and deliver treatments for depression, and to identify who will do best with what type of treatment.
What do participants do in this study?
In this pilot study, participants receive treatment for 16 weeks. At the Toronto site, participants are treated with CBT. At the Halifax site, participants are randomized to receive either CBT or antidepressant medication. Participants complete interviews to assess mood and symptoms. Questionnaires and computer tasks are also completed to evaluate symptoms, personality, quality of life and other measures. Blood samples are provided to help researchers identify genomic, proteomic and inflammatory markers of depression and treatment response. At the Toronto site, electroencephalography (EEG) is also used to measure changes in electrical activity in the brain.Halifax:
Study Contact Person: Dr. Rudolf Uher
Email: uher@dal.ca- Concussion and Depression Study (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Identifying Neuroimaging and Reward-Based Markers for Risk of Depression Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Study lead: Dr. Sidney Kennedy (St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto)
Study description: It is known that those who have suffered a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI; also known as concussion) are at greater risk of depression. However, there has been little research about how brain function differs in those with mTBI and depression, and there are no clear risk factors for development of depression after mTBI. The goal of this study is to characterize the biological profile (e.g. brain activity, behavioural tests) of those with mTBI and depression, and identify factors that may predict risk of depression following injury.
What do participants do in this study?
Participants will complete 3 visits over a 1 year period. At the baseline visit, participants will complete questionnaires to measure mood symptoms and quality of life, and will undergo brain imaging (magnetic resonance imaging) and tests of reward processing, learning, memory and attention. We are currently looking for 4 groups of people for this study: (1) individuals with a recent mTBI, (2) individuals with depression, (3) individuals with mTBI and depression, and (4) healthy individuals with no psychiatric or medical illness.Where is the study taking place?
This study took place at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.Where can I find more information?
Recruitment for this study is complete
Study Coordinator: Amanda Ceniti
Email: Amanda.Ceniti@Unityhealth.to
Phone: 416-864-6060 ext. 7815- Probiotics and Depression Pilot Study (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Effects of Probiotics on Symptoms of Depression
Study lead: Dr. Roumen Milev (Queen’s University, Kingston)
Study description: The goal of this study is to examine the effects of a probiotic supplement on symptoms of depression.
What do participants do in this study?
In this study, participants receive either a probiotic supplement or placebo to take for 16 weeks. Throughout the 16 weeks, participants complete interviews and questionnaires to assess mood and depressive symptoms and blood, urine, and stool samples are collected to help researchers identify changes in biological features that may be associated with the probiotic. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is used to measure structural or functional changes in the brain, and polysomnography is used to measure changes in sleep patterns.Where is the study taking place?
Recruitment for this study is complete.- Remote Cognitive Remediation for Depression (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Remote Cognitive Remediation for Depression
Study lead: Dr. Christopher Bowie (Queen’s University, Kingston)
Study description: Cognitive Remediation is a therapy that has been shown to improve cognitive abilities (such as attention, memory, and problem-solving) and to help people function better at home, at work, and in the community. The goal of this study is to see how well this therapy will work if people do the procedures from their homes on computers, instead of coming into an office to participate.
What do participants do in this study?
In this study, participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group completes Internet-based computer exercises from home for a period of 12 weeks, while the second group completes the same type computer exercise for a period of 24 weeks. The third group completes a different type of Internet-based computer exercise for a period of 12 weeks. All participants complete health-related questionnaires, cognitive tests and clinical interviews. Blood samples are provided to help researchers identify genomic and inflammatory markers of depression. Participants also have their brains imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help researchers understand the differences in brain structure and function in depressed individuals following treatment with cognitive remediation.Where is the study taking place?
Recruitment for this study is complete.- CAN-BIND-1 Antidepressant Medication Study (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Integrated Biological Markers for the Prediction of Treatment Response in Depression
Study lead: Dr. Sidney Kennedy (St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto)
Study description: Depression is usually treated with oral antidepressant medication, but it is difficult to know before treatment begins whether or not a medication will work for a particular individual. Many patients try multiple antidepressant medications before finding the ‘right one’. The goal of this study is to identify important factors that can accurately predict an individual’s treatment response to antidepressant medication. This research may help doctors to match patients with the right medication quickly and effectively.
What do participants do in this study?
In this study, participants are treated by a psychiatrist with a standard antidepressant for 16 weeks. During the study, participants complete questionnaires that assess mood, personality, cognitive and lifestyle factors. In addition, participants provide blood and urine samples, which are evaluated to identify genes and proteins that may predict treatment response. These biological features or markers are known as biomarkers. Participants also have their brains imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and their brain function assessed using electroencephalography (EEG). All of this information will be evaluated by our researchers in the hopes of finding biomarkers that predict treatment response in patients with depression.Where is the study taking place?
Recruitment for this study is complete.- Wellness Study (CAN-BIND-1 Extension Study) (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Wellness Monitoring for Major Depressive Disorder – A collaborative investigation of predictors of relapse in major depressive disorder: CAN-BIND-1 extension study
Study lead: Dr. Sidney Kennedy (St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto)
Study description: This study is aimed at identifying biological markers of relapse in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in a population of patients with MDD who are currently responding to an antidepressant medication or other treatment for depression.
What do participants do in this study?
This study is conducted over a 1-year period during which a range of information including mood and anxiety symptoms, quality of life, sleep, pain, stressful life events, etc., will be assessed. Participants will complete assessments during clinic visits conducted every 2 months, as well as through the use of mobile health technologies. At each clinic visit, participants will see the study psychiatrist, they will complete some questionnaires, and will undergo blood collection. Participants will also receive mobile health devices that they will use at home in between clinic visits. These include a smartphone that will be used to complete brief questionnaires on a weekly basis and an activity monitoring device (a watch) that will be used to record sleep-wake cycles, quantity/quality of sleep, as well as amount of daytime activity. The study is a naturalistic follow-up which means that participants would not be required to take a specific antidepressant medication or undergo other treatment, but would continue with their ongoing medication/treatment.Where is the study taking place?
Recruitment for this study is complete.- Long-term Follow-up Study (enrollment closed)
Full study name: CAN-BIND (Canadian Biomarker Integrated Network in Depression) Long-term Follow-up Study
Study lead: Dr. Shane McInerney (University Health Network, Toronto)
Study description: Even when people respond to treatment with an antidepressant medication, there remains the risk of “relapse”, which means that depression symptoms return after some time. Currently, there is no satisfactory way to determine whether or not someone will relapse and when this is likely to occur. The goal of this study is to find out why some people who are taking an oral antidepressant medication experience relapse while others do not. This information may help doctors better manage treatment for patients and help patients to sustain wellness.
What do participants do in this study?
Participants who have participated in the CAN-BIND-1 study are invited to participate in this long-term follow-up study. In this study, participants complete questionnaires every six months to monitor their mood and well-being over time. They also complete a clinical interview every six months, which assesses life events and depression symptoms. In this study, no medication is provided but participants are free to continue or discontinue treatment(s) as suggested by their primary care providers or psychiatrists.Where is the study taking place?
This study is recruiting CAN-BIND-1 participants by invitation only.- Brain Stimulation Study (enrollment closed)
Full study name: The Canadian rTMS Treatment Biomarker Network in Depression (CARTBIND)
Study leads: Dr. Daniel Blumberger & Dr. Jeff Daskalakis (CAMH, Toronto), Dr. Jonathan Downar (UHN, Toronto), and Dr. Fidel Vila-Rodriguez (UBC, Vancouver)
Study description: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique approved as a treatment for major depression by Health Canada. rTMS involves stimulating specific areas of the brain with magnetic field pulses. This study will focus on a specific type of stimulation called theta-burst stimulation. The goal of the study is to identify biomarkers of response to rTMS treatment.
What do participants do in this study?
In this study, participants will undergo rTMS treatment over six weeks. Before rTMS treatment begins, participants will have their brains imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help aim the stimulator correctly during treatment. There will be two more MRI sessions during the study for research purposes to understand how brain structure and activity relates to treatment response. Participants will also complete health-related questionnaires, provide blood samples and undergo neurophysiology testing using EEG.Where is the study taking place?
Recruitment for this study is complete.You can also find more information about rTMS on the rTMS Clinic website.
- Adolescent Mental Health Study (enrollment closed)
Full Study Name: Adolescent Mental Health: Canadian Psychiatric Risk and Outcome Study (PROCAN)
Study Leads: Dr. Jean Addington (University of Calgary, Calgary) and Dr. Benjamin I. Goldstein (Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto)
Study description: The goal of this study is to improve the ability to identify youth at risk of serious mental illness (SMI). Changes in mood, thinking or behaviour can be early indicators of mental illness. It is not yet known why these symptoms go away in some people, while in others the symptoms worsen and lead to a serious mental illness. Clinical, social, cognitive, neuroimaging and molecular factors are assessed in this study to identify risk indicators for developing serious mental illness in youth.
What do participants do in this study?
In this study, participants complete health-related questionnaires and cognitive tasks that evaluate concentration, problem-solving and memory. Participants have their brains imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help researchers understand the differences in brain structure and function between youth who do and do not develop serious mental illness. Blood samples are also provided to help researchers understand the biological basis of mental illnesses. This information may be used to develop new tests to diagnose or predict mental illnesses or to identify new treatments for diseases.Where is the study taking place?
Recruitment for this study is complete.- Stress and Reward Anhedonia (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Stress Sensitivity and Reward Responsivity in Depression
Study lead: Dr. Kate Harkness (Queen’s University, Kingston)
Study description: The goal of this study is to learn more about the different ways people process information that is stressful and rewarding, and how abnormalities in these two processes are related to depression.
What do participants do in this study?
In this study, participants complete health-related questionnaires and an interview about their relationships with their parents and any experiences of abuse. Blood samples are provided to help researchers identify genomic, proteomic and inflammatory markers of depression. Participants also do a stress test that involves a brief speech and brief arithmetic test and provide saliva samples, which are used to measure hormones that are secreted during stress. Participants also have their brains imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to help researchers understand the differences in brain structure and function between individuals with and without depression.Where is the study taking place?
This study is recruiting participants in Kingston.Where can I find more information?
Study Coordinator: Jasmine Chananna
Phone: 613-533-6003
Email: jc307@queensu.ca- Pilot Study: Music Therapy Studies (enrollment closed)
Full study name: Examining the Effect of Music and Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation on Major Depressive Disorder
Study leads: Dr. Sidney Kennedy (St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto), Dr. Lee Bartel (University of Toronto, Toronto), Dr. Thenille Braun Janzen (University of Toronto, Toronto)
Study description: The goal of this study is to explore whether music- and sound-based therapies, used in combination with standard treatment, can further relieve symptoms of depression.
What do participants do in this study?
Participants will complete a 5-week music intervention at home. The relaxing sound and musical tracks used in this program were specially composed to stimulate the brain with gamma frequency sounds (30-70 Hz). Participants are provided with a therapeutic device that has special speakers to deliver the sounds and music used in this study, and will be required use the device 30 minutes daily, for 5 days per week, completing a total of 5 weeks of treatment. Participants will complete mood and health-related questionnaires and have their brain activity measured using electroencephalography (EEG) before and after the 5-week therapy.Where is the study taking place?
Recruitment for this study is complete.Where can I find more information?
Contact: Dr. Thenille Braun Janzen
Email: Thenille.BraunJanzen@uhn.ca
Phone: 416-603-5800 ext. 6365
Fax: 416-603-5368- Biological Rhythms, Item Response Theory and Actigraphy (enrollment closed)
Study Lead: Dr. Benicio Frey (McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton)
Study Description: This study aimed to assess the Biological Rhythms Interview for Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN) self-report tool for capturing biological rhythms data, which are important for mood disorders research.
Results from this study have been published:
Performance of the Biological Rhythms Interview for Assessment in Neuropsychiatry: An Item Response Theory and Actigraphy Analysis
Allega, O. R., Leng, X., Vaccarino, A., Skelly, M., Lanzini, M., Hidalgo, M. P., Soares, C.N., Kennedy, S.H., Frey, B. N. (2017). Performance of the biological rhythms interview for assessment in neuropsychiatry: An item response theory and actigraphy analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 225, 54-63. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.07.047