DEVISE-HD

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Developing EVIdence for AntidepreSsant ChoicE to Treat Depression in Huntington’s Disease

• IRAS ID

  1010717

• Contact name

  Duncan McLauchlan

• Contact email

  duncan.mclauchlan@wales.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Cardiff University

• ISRCTN Number

  ISRCTN87426672

• Research summary

  Background
  Huntington’s Disease (HD) causes problems with movement, thinking that get worse over time. Depression is extremely common in HD and has effects on quality of life and people’s ability to do things. We think that by properly treating depression we can improve quality of life for people with HD and their families, and that this will reduce their need to use expensive healthcare services.
  Our data shows that depression in HD is different from depression in people without HD so anti-depressant medicines might work differently in people with HD. We do not know how well anti-depressants work in HD or what is the best way of measuring depression in HD.

  Aims and Objectives
  We want to know how well anti-depressants work, or don’t, to improve depression in HD. The first step in answering this question is to test how well a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of anti-depressants may work.

  Design and Methods
  Forty people with HD who report mild or moderate symptoms of depression to their doctor will be included. Half the people will be treated with a common antidepressant (Sertraline) and the other half will be given a dummy pill (placebo) for 6 months. We will measure depression and other HD symptoms at the beginning of the study and after 6 months. We will collect blood to see if anti-depressant treatment changes substances the body normally produces in response to damaged cells (inflammation). As part of the DEVISE-HD trial. Participants taking part in another national biomarker trial (HD-CLARITY- IRAS ID 185506) will also be able to co-enrol in the DEVISE-HD trial and will be asked to provide consent for the DEVISE-HD team to access blood and brain fluid (Cerebralspino Fluid (CSF)) samples. . We will use the data to see if people with HD are willing to join the study, if they stay in the study and what is the best way of measuring depression. The study will take place at three sites across the UK.

• REC name

  Wales REC 5

• REC reference

  26/WA/0057

• Date of REC Opinion

  13 Mar 2026

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion