CODA Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility Study in Comorbid Obesity and Treatment Resistant Depression using Minocycline as Adjunctive Treatment (CODA) Study
IRAS ID
333466
Contact name
Valeria Mondelli
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Scientists have found that the immune system – the body’s system dedicated to fighting infections – is in a state of “hyperactivity” in some patients with depression, despite the lack of any actual ongoing infection. This response is referred to as “inflammation”. This discovery has unveiled unique opportunities to identify new medications to help patients with this heightened inflammation who have also not been responding to their antidepressant medications. What we have yet to understand clearly, however, is how an anti-inflammatory medication may have anti-depressant effects in the body.
Obesity and depression are two highly prevalent disorders globally, and research has found that roughly 30% of individuals with obesity also have a diagnosis of depression. One suggested mechanism behind this comorbidity is “hyperactivity” of the immune system. Building on what we know about “hyperactivity” in individuals with depression, recent research has also shown that the coexistence of depression and obesity in an individual amplifies the risk of heightened inflammation.
Furthermore, increased inflammation has also been shown in the central nervous system (i.e., the brain, cerebrospinal fluid) in patients with depression. Scientists have found that neuroinflammation (inflammation in the brain) impacts brain structure in patients with depression and patients with obesity, particularly impacting learning and memory.
This study aims to investigate the feasibility of whether individuals with both obesity and depression will complete an 8-week course of minocycline, an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties, alongside regular anti-depressant medication. Likewise, we want to understand if participants can complete blood and saliva sample measurements, undergo 2 brain scans, and complete interviews and questionnaires over the course of 5 visits (12 weeks total).
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EE/0134
Date of REC Opinion
30 Jul 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion