Clinical Trials

The proposed study will examine sequential bilateral accelerated theta burst stimulation (aTBS). Three sessions are administered daily for 10 days (5 days per week). During each session continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) in which 1800 pulses are delivered continuously over 120 seconds to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (RDPFC) is administered first, followed by iTBS in which 1800 pulses are delivered in 2 second bursts, repeated every 10 seconds for 570 seconds (1800 pulses) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDPFC). The theta burst stimulation (TBS) parameters were adopted from prior work, with 3-pulse 50 Hz bursts given every 200 ms (at 5 Hz) with an intensity of 80% of active motor threshold. The comparison group will receive 3 daily sessions of bilateral sham TBS treatment for 10 days. Subjects in both groups will take part in a daily psychotherapeutic treatment program.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a health coaching intervention on the stress and burden of caregivers of patients awaiting heart or lung transplant.

Hypotheses:  Caregivers will have traits and behaviors pre-transplant that will predict caregiver readiness, quality of life, and transplant recipient outcomes. Specifically, thoracic pre-transplant caregivers report stress, symptoms of anxiety or depression, and perceive high caregiver burden. These factors may be amenable to pre-transplant intervention to improve overall patient and caregiver outcomes.

Aims, purpose, or objectives:  We will conduct a pilot trial to test whether caregivers of heart and lung transplant candidates who receive wellness coaching will experience improvement in caregiver-related distress. We will also explore the relationship between caregiving and factors such as uncertainty, resilience, stress level, and affect.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is an increasingly accepted neurostimulation- based treatment for major depressive disorder. While there is a growing anecdotal database supporting its use in bipolar depression the investigators propose to collect open label efficacy and safety data in a small population of patients with clinically verified bipolar disorder.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of interventions on important CV biomarkers to provide valuable information on the mechanism linking depression and anxiety to cardiac prognosis resulting in improved quality of life and diagnosis.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness and safety of MYDAYIS® as an augmentation agent for bipolar depression.

Physical activity plays an important role in reducing the adverse effects of cancer treatment. There are few studies using prehabilitation to improve peri-operative outcomes in patients undergoing cancer surgery. This study will pilot a program of structured activity for women undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy with the intent to improve their physical state prior to surgical intervention and thus improve outcomes.

It has been shown that patients with advanced ovarian cancer may suffer from high levels of cancer –specific distress, depression and anxiety. It has also been proposed that psychological resilience can favorably affect psychological and treatment-related outcomes in cancer patients. Most current studied mindfulness-based interventions are limited by the time commitment required by the patient, which is difficult for patients with advanced cancer undergoing treatment, therefore we have created a virtual program that is more easily accessible by patients. 

Frailty is thought to be mediated by senescent cells and their dynamic secretome, referred to as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Senescent cells contribute to age-related tissue deterioration, inflammation, and fibrosis. A group of novel frailty biomarkers obtained at the time of diagnosis has been examined in advanced OC patients. Preliminary data show that these biomarkers strongly correlate with the clinical frailty phenotype, and define a frail subgroup of patients with higher treatment related morbidity and worse survival. These markers may represent important surrogate clinical trial endpoints, as well as deepen the understanding of aging in women with ovarian cancer. In this pilot, these markers and other surrogate endpoints for future novel translational research in the science of aging will be explored. 

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of combination therapy with antidepressants (AD), fear avoidance rehabilitation (EFAR) AD+EFAR vs. each treatment alone to improve pain, self-reported function, depression, and anxiety in patients with chronic low back pain and high negative affect.

The purpose of this study is to implement a facilitated peer support group for women that have experienced an unexpected birth process in the last 12 months. 

The purpose of this study is to validate measures of depression, anxiety, traumatic stress, and factors related to these outcomes in medical patients, to develop a model for identifying persons with myocarditis who are at risk for depressive and anxiety disorders (clinically significant depressive and anxious symptoms), and for examining the effects of anxiety and depression on quality of life and health outcomes in respondents with myocarditis and caregivers.

This study aims to assess the level of anxiety and depression in children with epilepsy and compare to the level of anxiety and depression perceived by family by using validated, standardized measures as both comorbid conditions can significantly impact both quality of life and disease course.