Treatment of Depression to Study Alzheimers Disease Risk Using Escitalopram Compared to Placebo in Older Adults

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how depression might influence the risk of developing Alzheimers disease AD by examining biological factors involved in both conditions. The study focuses on adults aged 60 and older with major depressive disorder and aims to understand whether treating depression affects Alzheimers-related biomarkers in the body. This research will use an FDA-approved antidepressant and compares its effects to a placebo in a controlled trial. Participants receive either escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRI, or a matching placebo. The medication starts at 10 mg daily for two weeks and may increase to 20 mg as tolerated, with the option to reduce the dose if needed. The treatment period lasts for eight weeks, during which changes in cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers related to Alzheimers disease and vascular dysfunction will be tracked alongside depression symptom scores. Throughout the study, participants will undergo physical and neurological exams, brain MRI scans, lumbar punctures, blood and urine tests, and cognitive assessments. Researchers will monitor changes in Alzheimers biomarkers and depression severity using specific scales at the start and end of the treatment period. The study includes safety monitoring and requires participants to be medically stable and cognitively unimpaired at the start. The total participation time covers the screening and an eight-week treatment phase.

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