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SchizophreniaPhase 2NCT00061789

Imaging of Brain Receptors in Healthy Volunteers and in Patients With Schizophrenia

A Phase 2 study testing SPECT Imaging of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Brain in people with Schizophrenia, run by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will use single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to study brain nicotine receptors (proteins on the surface of brain cells) in healthy subjects and in patients with schizophrenia. Autopsy findings in patients with schizophrenia show changes in their nicotine receptors. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Schizophrenia
What is being tested?
SPECT Imaging of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Brain
How many people
100 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Feb 2003to Aug 2004
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Controls-Group 1:
  • Healthy Diagnosis;
  • 21-80 years;
  • No Cigarette Smoking;
  • Plasma Cotinine less than 3 ng/mL;
  • No olanzapine or risperidone
Show all 30Show fewer
  • Smoker Patients-Group 2:
  • Diagnosis of Schizophrenia;
  • 21-50 years;
  • Cigarette Smoking greater than 20 per day and greater than 5 years;
  • Plasma Cotinine greater than 100 ng/mL;
  • Olanzapine or risperidone greater than 6 mo. and same dose for 2 weeks
  • Non-Smoker Patients-Group 3:
  • Diagnosis of Schizophrenia;
  • 21-50 years;
  • No Cigarette Smoking;
  • Plasma Cotinine less than 3 ng/mL;
  • Olanzapine or risperidone greater than 6 mo. and same dose for 2 weeks
  • Smoker Controls-Group 4:
  • Healthy Diagnosis;
  • 21-50 years;
  • Cigarette Smoking greater than 20 per day and greater than 5 years;
  • Plasma Cotinine greater than 100 ng/mL;
  • No olanzapine or risperidone
  • Non-Smoker Controls-Group 5:
  • Healthy Diagnosis;
  • 21-50 years;
  • No Cigarette Smoking;
  • Plasma Cotinine less than 3 ng/mL;
  • No olanzapine or risperidone

Who cannot join

None listed.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

    Bethesda, Maryland, 20892

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: SPECT Imaging of Alpha 4 Beta 2 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Using [(123)I]5-I-A-85380 in Schizophrenia

This study will use single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to study brain nicotine receptors (proteins on the surface of brain cells) in healthy subjects and in patients with schizophrenia. Autopsy findings in patients with schizophrenia show changes in their nicotine receptors. This study will use SPECT to look at these receptors in living schizophrenia patients and compare them with those in healthy subjects.

The following individuals between 21 and 50 years of age (or between 21 and 80 years of age for Group 1 only) are eligible for this study: healthy non-smokers (Group 1); schizophrenia patients who smoke (Group 2); schizophrenia patients who do not smoke (Group 3); healthy smokers (Group 4); healthy non-smokers (Group 5). Patients with schizophrenia must be taking olanzapine (Zyprexa) or risperidone (Risperdal) for at least 6 months. All candidates will be screened at the first visit. Group 1 participants will have three more visits; Groups 2 through 5 will have two more visits.

Read more

Visit 1

All participants will be screened with physical and neurological examinations; blood and urine tests; and neuropsychological tests to assess their ability to learn and remember words and numbers, to pay attention, and to quickly perform motor tasks, such as putting pegs into a piece of wood. In addition, they will have an eye movement test and event-related potential testing. For the eye test, the subject sits in a chair and leans forward with the chin on a chin rest. A band is tied around the head and very small amounts of invisible (infrared) light are shined into the eyes. The light is reflected back and measured. Wire electrodes are placed around the area of the eye and cheek to monitor eye blinks and eye movements. Subjects are asked to follow a light with their eyes and to look away from a light. For event- related potential testing, electrodes are placed on the scalp, forehead and cheeks, and brain activity is recorded while the subject identifies particular pictures and sounds.

Visit 2 (and Visit 3 for Group 1)

Participants will have a SPECT scan. On the night before the scan, the day of the scan, and for 4 days after the scan, subject take an oral dose of potassium iodide to protect the thyroid gland from the radioactive tracer used in the SPECT procedure. (Individuals allergic to potassium iodide will take potassium perchlorate instead.) For the SPECT scan, small radioactive markers containing 99mTc are glued to the subject's head. Two catheters (thin, flexible tubes) are placed in veins in the arms to inject the radioactive tracer [123I]5-I-A-85380 and to draw blood samples. During the scan, the subject lies on a bed with his or her head held still with a headholder. The scans are taken over a 9-hour period after injection of the tracer injection. An electrocardiogram, respiration, and blood pressure measures are taken before injection of [123I]5-I-A-85380, then 5 minutes after the injection, and again 30 to 60 minutes after the injection. Breath samples are collected every 60 minutes. Blood and urine samples are collected 5 to 6 hours after starting the scan. Group 1 subjects will have a second SPECT scan within 4 weeks of the first.

Visit 3 (Visit 4 for Group 1)

Participants will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. For this procedure, the subject lies on a table that slides into a narrow metal cylinder with a strong magnetic field for the scan. The scanner uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images that show structural and chemical changes in tissues. The test lasts up to 1 hour.

Read the detailed description

Abnormalities of nicotinic acetylcholine system in schizophrenia are implied by the high prevalence of cigarette smoking. Because animal and human studies have shown that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play an important role in cognitive function, cognitive deficits in schizophrenia also suggest abnormalities in these receptors. Postmortem studies showed abnormalities in high affinity nAChRs in these patients but the direction of the abnormalities (increase or decrease) were not consistent probably because it is difficult to control the effects of cigarette smoking and neuroleptics in such studies. In vivo imaging studies are necessary to study relationship between nAChRs and psychiatric symptoms including cognitive impairments.

We plan to use a new single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) tracer, [(123)I]5-I-A-85380, which appears suitable for imaging the high affinity Alpha 4 Beta 2 subtype of nAChRs. We plan to compare four groups, 1) schizophrenia smokers, 2) schizophrenia non-smokers, 3) healthy smokers, and 4) healthy non-smokers. All patients will be on stable doses of olanzapine or risperidone. In addition to comparing [(123)I]5-I-A-85380 binding among these groups, relationship will be studied between psychiatric symptoms or cognitive dysfunction and the SPECT measurement of the receptors. Further, to study the reliability of the SPECT measurement, a test retest study will be preformed in healthy subjects with a wide range. The proposed study will explore the roles of nAChRs in the psychiatric symptoms, particularly the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, which is the central impairment of this disorder. New findings in this research will lead to enhanced treatment of the cognitive deficits.

Conditions
Schizophrenia
Being tested
SPECT Imaging of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Brain
Keywords
Schizophrenia, SPECT, Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, Cigarette Smoking, Cognitive Dysfunction, Reproducibility, Quantification, Healthy Volunteer, HV
Medical subject headings
Schizophrenia, Cigarette Smoking, Cognitive Dysfunction

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • SPECT Imaging of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in BrainDrug

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted4 Jun 2003 (estimated)
  2. Study startFeb 2003
  3. Study completionAug 2004

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Enrolment
100 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00061789
Sponsor's protocol ID
030003
Other IDs
03-M-0003
Status last verified
Aug 2004
First submitted
4 Jun 2003
Last updated
4 Mar 2008
Results posted
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing SPECT Imaging of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Brain in people with Schizophrenia, run by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 30 inclusion and 0 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Mar 2008. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Mar 2008.

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