Could nicotine patches lift depression in seniors?

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Only individuals who complete 12 weeks of the blinded Depressed MIND trial will be eligible for enrollment. Eligibility criteria for the blinded phase includes: Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age ≥ 60 years; 2. Diagnosis of major depressive disorder, single or recurrent episode (DSM5); 3. On a stable therapeutic dose of an allowed SSRI or SNRI for at least 8 weeks; 4. Severity: Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score ≥ 15; 5. Cognition: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥ 24; 6. Fluent in English Exclusion Criteria: 1. Other Axis I psychiatric disorders, except for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or social phobia symptoms occurring in a depressive episode or diagnosis of an attentional disorder, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); 2. Use of other augmentation medication treatments for depression, or ADHD e.g., stimulant medications,, e.g., adjunctive bupropion or other augmenting agents, that the participant does not want to stop, although short-acting sedatives are allowed (see below); 3. Any use of tobacco or nicotine in the last year; 4. Living with a smoker or regular exposure to secondhand smoke; 5. History of alcohol use disorder or substance use disorder of moderate or greater severity (endorsing 4 or more of the 12 criteria) in the last 12 months; 6. Acute suicidality; 7. Acute grief (\<1 month); 8. Current or past psychosis; 9. Primary neurological disorder, including dementia, stroke, epilepsy, etc.; 10. MRI contraindication; 11. Electroconvulsive therapy or transcranial magnetic stimulation in last 2 months; 12. Current or planned psychotherapy; 13. Allergy or hypersensitivity to nicotine patches; 14. In the last 4 weeks, regular use of drugs with central cholinergic or anticholinergic properties or moderate / severe CYP2A6 inhibitors /inducers.