Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27965822›Full record

ArticlePilot and feasibility studies2015

Lessons from a pilot and feasibility randomised trial in depression (Blood pressure Rapid Intensive Lowering And Normal Treatment for Mood and cognition in persistent depression (BRILiANT mood study)).

Kirsty Olsen, Denise Howel, Robert Barber, Gary A Ford, Peter Gallagher, R Hamish McAllister-Williams, Jonna Nilsson, John O'Brien, Jennie Parker, Alan Thomas

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pilot and feasibility studies, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
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  5. CONSORT 2010 statement: extension to randomised pilot and feasibility trials.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2016 · on this map
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Kirsty OlsenInstitute of Neuroscience, Campus for Ageing & Vitality, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL UK.
Denise HowelInstitute of Health & Society, Baddiley-Clark Building, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AX UK.
Robert BarberNorthumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Older Peoples Mental Health Services, Centre for the Health of the Elderly, Campus for Ageing & Vitality, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 6BE UK.
Gary A FordMedical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PL UK.
Peter GallagherInstitute of Neuroscience & Newcastle Institute for Ageing, Henry Wellcome Building, Framlington Plane, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH UK.
R Hamish McAllister-WilliamsInstitute of Neuroscience & Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Academic Psychiatry, Wolfson Research Centre, Campus for Ageing & Vitality, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE5 4LP UK.
Jonna NilssonAging Research Centre, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm University, Gävlegatan 16, SE-113 30 Stockholm, Sweden.
John O'BrienDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Level E4, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Box 189, Cambridge, CB2 0SP UK.
Jennie ParkerNewcastle Clinical Trials Unit, Newcastle University, 1-4 Claremont Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AE UK.
Alan ThomasInstitute of Neuroscience & Newcastle University Institute for Ageing, Campus for Ageing & Vitality, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL UK.
Newcastle University · GBCumbria Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust · GBKarolinska Institutet · SENewcastle Hospitals - Campus for Ageing and Vitality · GBUniversity of Cambridge · GBUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/J011835/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe blood pressure rapid intensive lowering and normal treatment for mood and cognition in persistent depression (BRILiANT mood study) was devised as a pilot study to investigate the feasibility and safety of intensive blood pressure lowering as treatment for persistent mood and cognitive symptoms in older adults with major depressive disorder and to assess the availability of this population for recruitment. In addition, the relationship between reduced blood pressure and the change in cerebral blood flow and mood was to be investigated.

methodsA single centre pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT), with two parallel groups of intensive or normal treatment for hypertension, recruiting from primary and secondary care and newspaper advert, with an aim of recruiting 66 participants, was observed in this study. At the end of the recruitment period, in order to explore the reasons for failure to recruit to target, surveys were developed and issued to those involved in recruitment.

resultsRecruitment rates were lower than expected which led to the study being expanded to further areas and opened to self-referral via advertisement. However, because of better management of hypertension due to changes in the UK Quality and Outcomes Framework guidelines for blood pressure treatment, few eligible patients were identified and the study closed at the end of the recruitment period, with 13 participants consenting, but 12 failing screening resulting in one recruited participant.

conclusionsOverall, the BRILiANT mood study was found not to be feasible, and results suggest that the expected patient population no longer exists. To overcome such recruitment difficulties, a prompt commencement of a study after funding so no relevant care changes occur might help prevent similar problems in future studies. In addition, self-referral, in this case via advertisement in papers, may be a useful tool to increase response rate. When recruiting in primary care, direct access to primary care databases, in a secure and anonymised way, may enable more effective screening. Ultimately, the BRILiANT mood study was shown not to be feasible; this was a useful conclusion from this pilot study.

trial registrationISRCTN 64524251; UKCRN Portfolio No: 13284.

Indexed as

CognitiveDepressionHypertensionMoodPilotRandomised controlled trialsRecruitment

Identifiers

PMID27965822
PMCPMC5154019
OpenAlexW2222063615

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.