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Pediatric
Mood Disorders Clinic Pediatric Translational Research in Affective and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (P-TRACT)
Recent Publications: Pediatric Intervention Research in Affect Dysregulation and Mood Disorders Lab (PIRAMD)
The following is a list of the active studies being conducted in the Pediatric Mood Disorders Program. If you have any questions, or if you qualify and are interested in participating, please contact the research group at (312) 355-1911 or (312) 413-1710. Pediatric Translational Research in Affective and Cognitive Neuroscience and Treatment (P-TRACT Lab) Clinical trials ____________________________________________________________________________ Depakote versus Risperdal We are studying the comparative mood stabilizing effects of Depakote and Risperdal in subjects aged 10-20 years who have been diagnosed with pediatric bipolar disorder. To prevent parent or researcher bias in reporting drug effects, we will not tell you which tablet is active and which tablet is the sugar pill. As part of the 6-week study, subjects will need an initial diagnostic interview and be required to complete rating scales each week as an outpatient. Blood tests will be done three times in those 6 weeks. A functional MRI brain scan will be completed before and after the 6 weeks. Tablets, brain scans, diagnostic assessment, outpatient appointments and blood tests are all free of charge. Recruiting: ____________________________________________________________________________ Open Trial of Lamotrigine (Lamictal) We are studying the mood stabilizing effects of lamotrigine in subjects aged 10-20 years who have been diagnosed with pediatric bipolar disorder. The study takes 14 weeks (8 weeks of ramping up the medicine dose to a therapeutic level and 6 weeks of open trial at optimal dose). As part of the study, subjects will need an initial diagnostic interview and be required to complete rating scales every other week as an outpatient. Blood tests will be done three times in those 14 weeks. A functional MRI brain scan will be completed before and after the trial. Study medicine, brain scans, diagnostic assessment, outpatient appointments and blood tests are all free of charge. Recruiting: ____________________________________________________________________________ We are studying brain function before and after medication in the pediatric bipolar population. We also want to look at the neurological differences between ADHD and bipolar subjects. This will help us to examine how the brain works without medication and understand the effects of medication. This series of studies involve 1 and a half hour fMRI scans, an hour of neurocognitive computer testing designed for children and adolescents, and a half hour of eye movement testing. Children and adolescents are shown pictures of faces, words and pictures testing different areas of neurocognitive function. All participants are compensated $50 for their time. To qualify: participants must have no metal in the body, no braces, no implants, no anxiety in small spaces (the scanner is similar to a dark bunk bed), no history of concussion or traumatic brain history (call us for screening), no major medical illnesses, and, if ADHD or healthy, no immediate family history of bipolar disorder. We will have you practice lying in a mock scanner if the idea of the scanner makes you uncomfortable. Recruiting: ____________________________________________________________________________ Neurocognitive studies Our aim is to test the hypothesis that subjects with acute pediatric bipolar disorder show impairment in attention, learning and memory, language, problem solving and sensory-motor skills; but no difference from control subjects in emotional recognition and differentiation. The tests to examine these brain functions are collectively called the neurocognitive battery. The tests will enable us to learn whether this impairment changes over time and with the course of treatment. The study is run in conjunction with the lamotrigine medicine trial. It takes approximately 5 hours over two days to complete testing and the tests are repeated after a 6 week period of time. Some of the tests use computers while others require paper-pencil tests. These tests are also accompanied by brain scans in the neuroimaging studies. Recruiting: ____________________________________________________________________________ Neurobiology study We are interested in understanding how medications react with receptors on cell membranes to cause intracellular changes in the brain cells of child and adolescent subjects. To accomplish this, we are studying how cellular proteins are affected by neurochemicals at the receptor level. We will examine the chemical chain reaction beginning with the administration of medication and subsequent changes in intracellular chemical pathways to the possible production of neuro-protective proteins in the cell. We will look at these cellular changes that could result in treatment resistance to help us make correct treatment decisions in the future. This study will require examination of 8 tablespoons of blood before and after 6 weeks of standard treatment. We will also track clinical symptoms pre- and post- treatment. Recruitment: ____________________________________________________________________________ Pediatric Intervention Research in Affect Dysregulation and Mood Disorders Lab (PIRAMD) ____________________________________________________________________________ Child-and Family-focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Clinical Trial We are investigating a child-and family-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CFF-CBT) program for children with bipolar disorder and their parents. This program integrates psychoeducation, CBT, and interpersonal therapy techniques to address the psychosocial and interpersonal aspects of PBD. It is a 12-session intervention designed to be used adjunctive to pharmacotherapy. Preliminary results of 34 children post-treatment indicated that participating in the intervention resulted in significantly reduced symptoms of PBD and better social and academic functioning. ____________________________________________________________________________ Parent Empowerment Project: Adaptation to Pediatric Bipolar Disorder This Parent Empowerment project was established several years ago as a joint venture between the Mental Health Association of New York City, Columbia University, researchers from Maryland, Tennessee, and parent advocates and mental health professionals from California and Utah. The identified need was better training and support to the many parent advocates working with parents of children with psychiatric disorders in New York City. Over the past several years, these collaborators have developed comprehensive manuals for the training of parent advocates to address the needs of parents of children with ADHD, making sure parents have information on evidence-based treatments at their fingertips, and that they know how to access such resources in the community. Currently, we are collaborating with the Parent Empowerment Lab at Columbia to adapt these manuals for use with a pediatric bipolar disorder population. Once the materials have been adapted, they will be pilot tested in a group of parent advocates working with parents of children with pediatric bipolar disorder. ____________________________________________________________________________ Medication Compliance of Children and Adolescents with Early-Onset Bipolar Disorder This research is being conducted to better understand how children and adolescents feel about their medication and how those feelings affect their medication compliance. The study examines how attributional style (i.e., the characteristic way people explain the causes of events in their lives) and hopelessness (i.e., negative future expectations) affect the medication compliance of children and adolescents with early-onset bipolar disorder. The examination of these possible predictors may lead to the development of better treatment strategies for early-onset bipolar disorder. The child or adolescent will be administered three questionnaires about his/her way of explaining events, future expectations, and feelings about medication and medication compliance. A parent will be administered questionnaires about their child's medication, medication compliance, and bipolar symptoms. The study takes approximately 45 minutes to complete. Recruitment: |
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