SchizophreniaSarcNCT00538070
A Study of the Effects of Sarcosine on Symptoms and Brain Glycine Levels in People With Schizophrenia
A study testing Sarcosine in people with Schizophrenia, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
The NMDA receptor has been identified as having a role in substance use disorders as well as in schizophrenia. One example of the former is nicotine's effect on dopaminergic activity not only by increasing the release of dopamine in the Midbrain reward centers, but also through less direct mechanisms affecting alpha-7… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Schizophrenia
- What is being tested?
- Sarcosine
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 68 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- Aug 2007to Jul 2012
- Phase
- Interventional
- 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 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Women and men aged 18-65 with DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder by diagnostic interview and chart review.
- Clinically stable on a stable dose of antipsychotic medication for at least one month, no current active suicidal ideation.
- Competent to provide informed consent.
- Women of childbearing age must have a negative pregnancy test at screening and agree to use an approved form of contraception throughout the study.
- Screening labs within normal limits for age and gender except for liver function tests as specified below.
Who cannot join
- Diagnosis of bipolar disorder, dementia, neurodegenerative disease, or other organic mental disorder.
- History of seizure disorder or CNS tumor.
- Liver function tests elevated over twice normal.
- Bulimia, or major depressive disorder within the last 6 months.
- Life-threatening arrhythmia, cerebro-vascular, or cardiovascular event within 6 months. Current serious unstable medical illness including cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, respiratory, endocrine, neurological, or hematological disease such that hospitalization for treatment of that illness is likely within the next 2 months. Lifetime history of multiple head injuries with neurological sequelae or a single severe head injury with lasting neurological sequelae.
- Use of investigational medication within 30 days of enrollment.
Show all 9Show fewer
- Use of clozapine.
- Substance use disorder other than nicotine or caffeine in the last 6 months (by self report and salivary drug and alcohol screen).
- Posing a current risk of homicide or suicide.
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
United States2 sites
McLean Hospital, Brain Imaging Center
Belmont, Massachusetts, 02478
MGH Center for Addiction Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts, 02114
About this study
Official title: The Effects of Glycine Transport Inhibition on Brain Glycine Concentration
The NMDA receptor has been identified as having a role in substance use disorders as well as in schizophrenia. One example of the former is nicotine's effect on dopaminergic activity not only by increasing the release of dopamine in the Midbrain reward centers, but also through less direct mechanisms affecting alpha-7 nicotinic receptors, NMDA receptors, and Glycine, a co-agonist for the NMDA receptors. In terms of schizophrenia, it has been hypothesized that NMDA receptor hypofunction plays a role in the mechanism for negative symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in these patients. The NMDA hypofunction may be reversed with increased synaptic glycine availability.
Sarcosine, or n-methyl-glycine, is a GlyT-1 and System A transport inhibitor actions which could be expected to increase the availability of glycine, in the synaptic space. Sarcosine is a dietary supplement which could be found in several food items such as egg yolks and turkey.
Our collaborative team has developed a novel, non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) technique for measuring brain glycine changes that allows us to study glycine homeostasis. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of sarcosine (n-methyl-glycine) on brain glycine concentrations. It is our hypothesis that oral sarcosine, at a dose of 2 grams per day, will be well tolerated and associated with increased brain glycine concentrations. It is our secondary exploratory hypothesis that increases in brain glycine will be associated with behavioral signs of increased NMDA and dopamine activity. This modulation could have future therapeutic potential for disorders of hedonic and cognitive function.
Read the detailed description
Research subjects will undergo a screening visit at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Addiction Medicine. If they meet inclusion criteria, they will be invited for the baseline visit when they will have their first MRS and will begin taking the study drug/placebo. The randomization will be done in blocks of four. The study drug/placebo is prescribed to take 2 capsules of 500 mg each, two times per day, with or without food. They will continue weekly visits for six weeks and will receive new supplies of the study drug/placebo on weeks 2 and 4. On week 6, they will have the second MRS. On weeks 8 and 16, subjects will undergo follow up visits. On several of these visits, study staff will assess for the presence of adverse events (with the UKU instrument), cigarettes use (with carbon monoxide monitoring), and abnormal involuntary movements (with the abnormal involuntary movement scale, the barnes akathisia scale, and the sympson angus scale).
- Conditions
- Schizophrenia
- Being tested
- Sarcosine
- Keywords
- Sarcosine, Glycine, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Schizophrenia
- Medical subject headings
- Schizophrenia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
SarcosineDietary supplement
Also called glycine transport inhibitor
You will receive two grams of sarcosine or placebo per day. Each capsule will contain 500 mg of sarcosine or placebo. You will take two capsules twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening, every day for six weeks. You can take the pills with or without food. You should continue to take all your other medications throughout the study.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Placebo | Placebo comparator | You will receive two grams of placebo per day. You will take two 500 mg placebo capsules twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening, every day for six weeks. You can take the pills with or without food. You should continue to take all your other medications throughout the study. Receives: Dietary Supplement: Sarcosine |
| Sarcosine | Experimental | You will receive two grams of sarcosine per day. You will take two 500 mg capsules twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening, every day for six weeks. You can take the pills with or without food. You should continue to take all your other medications throughout the study. Receives: Dietary Supplement: Sarcosine |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Increases in brain glycine concentration as measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Measured: baseline and endpoint
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Oct 2007 (estimated)
- Study startAug 2007
- Primary completionJul 2012
- Study completionJul 2012
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (76)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for SchizophreniaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Massachusetts General HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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 N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 68 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, A. Eden Evins, Massachusetts General Hospital
- Investigators
- A. Eden Evins, M.D., M.P.H., Principal investigator, Massachusetts General HospitalMarc Kaufman, Ph.D., Principal investigator, Mclean Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00538070
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1R01DA022276-01
- Other IDs
- 1R01DA022276, #2007-P-000416/1, R01DA022276, DPMC
- Acronym
- Sarc
- Status last verified
- Sep 2012
- First submitted
- 1 Oct 2007
- Last updated
- 18 Sep 2012
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
Publications
Berger AJ, Dieudonne S, Ascher P. Glycine uptake governs glycine site occupancy at NMDA receptors of excitatory synapses. J Neurophysiol. 1998 Dec;80(6):3336-40. doi: 10.1152/jn.1998.80.6.3336.
PubMed 9862928Mansvelder HD, McGehee DS. Long-term potentiation of excitatory inputs to brain reward areas by nicotine. Neuron. 2000 Aug;27(2):349-57. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)00042-8.
PubMed 10985354Lopez E, Arce C, Vicente S, Oset-Gasque MJ, Gonzalez MP. Nicotinic receptors mediate the release of amino acid neurotransmitters in cultured cortical neurons. Cereb Cortex. 2001 Feb;11(2):158-63. doi: 10.1093/cercor/11.2.158.
PubMed 11208670Lim DK, Park SH, Choi WJ. Subacute nicotine exposure in cultured cerebellar cells increased the release and uptake of glutamate. Arch Pharm Res. 2000 Oct;23(5):488-94. doi: 10.1007/BF02976578.
PubMed 11059829McGehee DS, Heath MJ, Gelber S, Devay P, Role LW. Nicotine enhancement of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in CNS by presynaptic receptors. Science. 1995 Sep 22;269(5231):1692-6. doi: 10.1126/science.7569895.
PubMed 7569895Toth E, Vizi ES, Lajtha A. Effect of nicotine on levels of extracellular amino acids in regions of the rat brain in vivo. Neuropharmacology. 1993 Aug;32(8):827-32. doi: 10.1016/0028-3908(93)90192-6.
PubMed 8105411Toth E. Effect of nicotine on the level of extracellular amino acids in the hippocampus of rat. Neurochem Res. 1996 Aug;21(8):903-7. doi: 10.1007/BF02532339.
PubMed 8895843McBain CJ, Kleckner NW, Wyrick S, Dingledine R. Structural requirements for activation of the glycine coagonist site of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Mol Pharmacol. 1989 Oct;36(4):556-65.
PubMed 2554111Herdon HJ, Godfrey FM, Brown AM, Coulton S, Evans JR, Cairns WJ. Pharmacological assessment of the role of the glycine transporter GlyT-1 in mediating high-affinity glycine uptake by rat cerebral cortex and cerebellum synaptosomes. Neuropharmacology. 2001 Jul;41(1):88-96. doi: 10.1016/s0028-3908(01)00043-0.
PubMed 11445189Sakata K, Sato K, Schloss P, Betz H, Shimada S, Tohyama M. Characterization of glycine release mediated by glycine transporter 1 stably expressed in HEK-293 cells. Brain Res Mol Brain Res. 1997 Oct 3;49(1-2):89-94. doi: 10.1016/s0169-328x(97)00126-5.
PubMed 9387867Javitt DC, Duncan L, Balla A, Sershen H. Inhibition of system A-mediated glycine transport in cortical synaptosomes by therapeutic concentrations of clozapine: implications for mechanisms of action. Mol Psychiatry. 2005 Mar;10(3):275-87. doi: 10.1038/sj.mp.4001552.
PubMed 15278098Lechner SM. Glutamate-based therapeutic approaches: inhibitors of glycine transport. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2006 Feb;6(1):75-81. doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2005.11.002. Epub 2005 Dec 22.
PubMed 16376148Martina M, Gorfinkel Y, Halman S, Lowe JA, Periyalwar P, Schmidt CJ, Bergeron R. Glycine transporter type 1 blockade changes NMDA receptor-mediated responses and LTP in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells by altering extracellular glycine levels. J Physiol. 2004 Jun 1;557(Pt 2):489-500. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2004.063321. Epub 2004 Apr 2.
PubMed 15064326Tsai G, Lane HY, Yang P, Chong MY, Lange N. Glycine transporter I inhibitor, N-methylglycine (sarcosine), added to antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Mar 1;55(5):452-6. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2003.09.012.
PubMed 15023571Lane HY, Chang YC, Liu YC, Chiu CC, Tsai GE. Sarcosine or D-serine add-on treatment for acute exacerbation of schizophrenia: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Nov;62(11):1196-204. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.62.11.1196.
PubMed 16275807
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 18 Sep 2012. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effects of Glycine Transport Inhibition on Brain Glycine Concentration
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00538070
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Sarc / 1R01DA022276-01
- Conditions
- Schizophrenia
- Keywords
- Sarcosine, Glycine, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Schizophrenia
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 68 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Massachusetts General HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- Study start
- Aug 2007
- Primary completion
- Jul 2012 (actual)
- Study completion
- Jul 2012 (actual)
- First posted
- 2 Oct 2007 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The NMDA receptor has been identified as having a role in substance use disorders as well as in schizophrenia. One example of the former is nicotine's effect on dopaminergic activity not only by increasing the release of dopamine in the Midbrain reward centers, but also through less direct mechanisms affecting alpha-7 nicotinic receptors, NMDA receptors, and Glycine, a co-agonist for the NMDA receptors. In terms of schizophrenia, it has been hypothesized that NMDA receptor hypofunction plays a role in the mechanism for negative symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in these patients. The NMDA hypofunction may be reversed with increased synaptic glycine availability.
Sarcosine, or n-methyl-glycine, is a GlyT-1 and System A transport inhibitor actions which could be expected to increase the availability of glycine, in the synaptic space. Sarcosine is a dietary supplement which could be found in several food items such as egg yolks and turkey.
Our collaborative team has developed a novel, non-invasive magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) technique for measuring brain glycine changes that allows us to study glycine homeostasis. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of sarcosine (n-methyl-glycine) on brain glycine concentrations. It is our hypothesis that oral sarcosine, at a dose of 2 grams per day, will be well tolerated and associated with increased brain glycine concentrations. It is our secondary exploratory hypothesis that increases in brain glycine will be associated with behavioral signs of increased NMDA and dopamine activity. This modulation could have future therapeutic potential for disorders of hedonic and cognitive function.
Detailed description
Research subjects will undergo a screening visit at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Addiction Medicine. If they meet inclusion criteria, they will be invited for the baseline visit when they will have their first MRS and will begin taking the study drug/placebo. The randomization will be done in blocks of four. The study drug/placebo is prescribed to take 2 capsules of 500 mg each, two times per day, with or without food. They will continue weekly visits for six weeks and will receive new supplies of the study drug/placebo on weeks 2 and 4. On week 6, they will have the second MRS. On weeks 8 and 16, subjects will undergo follow up visits. On several of these visits, study staff will assess for the presence of adverse events (with the UKU instrument), cigarettes use (with carbon monoxide monitoring), and abnormal involuntary movements (with the abnormal involuntary movement scale, the barnes akathisia scale, and the sympson angus scale).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Placebo | Placebo comparator | Dietary Supplement: SarcosineYou will receive two grams of placebo per day. You will take two 500 mg placebo capsules twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening, every day for six weeks. You can take the pills with or without food. You should continue to take all your other medications throughout the study. |
| Sarcosine | Experimental | Dietary Supplement: SarcosineYou will receive two grams of sarcosine per day. You will take two 500 mg capsules twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening, every day for six weeks. You can take the pills with or without food. You should continue to take all your other medications throughout the study. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Women and men aged 18-65 with DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder by diagnostic interview and chart review.
- Clinically stable on a stable dose of antipsychotic medication for at least one month, no current active suicidal ideation.
- Competent to provide informed consent.
- Women of childbearing age must have a negative pregnancy test at screening and agree to use an approved form of contraception throughout the study.
- Screening labs within normal limits for age and gender except for liver function tests as specified below.
Key exclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Diagnosis of bipolar disorder, dementia, neurodegenerative disease, or other organic mental disorder.
- History of seizure disorder or CNS tumor.
- Liver function tests elevated over twice normal.
- Bulimia, or major depressive disorder within the last 6 months.
- Life-threatening arrhythmia, cerebro-vascular, or cardiovascular event within 6 months. Current serious unstable medical illness including cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, respiratory, endocrine, neurological, or hematological disease such that hospitalization for treatment of that illness is likely within the next 2 months. Lifetime history of multiple head injuries with neurological sequelae or a single severe head injury with lasting neurological sequelae.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| SarcosineAlso: glycine transport inhibitorYou will receive two grams of sarcosine or placebo per day. Each capsule will contain 500 mg of sarcosine or placebo. You will take two capsules twice per day, once in the morning and once in the evening, every day for six weeks. You can take the pills with or without food. You should continue to take all your other medications throughout the study. | Dietary supplement | Placebo, Sarcosine |
Primary outcome
Increases in brain glycine concentration as measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Time frame: baseline and endpoint
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 18 Sep 2012.
- Background: PubMed 9862928Berger AJ, Dieudonne S, Ascher P. Glycine uptake governs glycine site occupancy at NMDA receptors of excitatory synapses. J Neurophysiol. 1998 Dec;80(6):3336-40. doi: 10.1152/jn.1998.80.6.3336.
- Background: PubMed 10985354Mansvelder HD, McGehee DS. Long-term potentiation of excitatory inputs to brain reward areas by nicotine. Neuron. 2000 Aug;27(2):349-57. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)00042-8.
- Background: PubMed 11208670Lopez E, Arce C, Vicente S, Oset-Gasque MJ, Gonzalez MP. Nicotinic receptors mediate the release of amino acid neurotransmitters in cultured cortical neurons. Cereb Cortex. 2001 Feb;11(2):158-63. doi: 10.1093/cercor/11.2.158.
- Background: PubMed 11059829Lim DK, Park SH, Choi WJ. Subacute nicotine exposure in cultured cerebellar cells increased the release and uptake of glutamate. Arch Pharm Res. 2000 Oct;23(5):488-94. doi: 10.1007/BF02976578.
- Background: PubMed 7569895McGehee DS, Heath MJ, Gelber S, Devay P, Role LW. Nicotine enhancement of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in CNS by presynaptic receptors. Science. 1995 Sep 22;269(5231):1692-6. doi: 10.1126/science.7569895.
- Background: PubMed 8105411Toth E, Vizi ES, Lajtha A. Effect of nicotine on levels of extracellular amino acids in regions of the rat brain in vivo. Neuropharmacology. 1993 Aug;32(8):827-32. doi: 10.1016/0028-3908(93)90192-6.
- Background: PubMed 8895843Toth E. Effect of nicotine on the level of extracellular amino acids in the hippocampus of rat. Neurochem Res. 1996 Aug;21(8):903-7. doi: 10.1007/BF02532339.
- Background: PubMed 2554111McBain CJ, Kleckner NW, Wyrick S, Dingledine R. Structural requirements for activation of the glycine coagonist site of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Mol Pharmacol. 1989 Oct;36(4):556-65.
- Background: PubMed 11445189Herdon HJ, Godfrey FM, Brown AM, Coulton S, Evans JR, Cairns WJ. Pharmacological assessment of the role of the glycine transporter GlyT-1 in mediating high-affinity glycine uptake by rat cerebral cortex and cerebellum synaptosomes. Neuropharmacology. 2001 Jul;41(1):88-96. doi: 10.1016/s0028-3908(01)00043-0.
- Background: PubMed 9387867Sakata K, Sato K, Schloss P, Betz H, Shimada S, Tohyama M. Characterization of glycine release mediated by glycine transporter 1 stably expressed in HEK-293 cells. Brain Res Mol Brain Res. 1997 Oct 3;49(1-2):89-94. doi: 10.1016/s0169-328x(97)00126-5.
- Background: PubMed 15278098Javitt DC, Duncan L, Balla A, Sershen H. Inhibition of system A-mediated glycine transport in cortical synaptosomes by therapeutic concentrations of clozapine: implications for mechanisms of action. Mol Psychiatry. 2005 Mar;10(3):275-87. doi: 10.1038/sj.mp.4001552.
- Background: PubMed 16376148Lechner SM. Glutamate-based therapeutic approaches: inhibitors of glycine transport. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2006 Feb;6(1):75-81. doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2005.11.002. Epub 2005 Dec 22.
Related trials for Schizophrenia
RecruitingPhase 3
A Study to Evaluate the Long-term Safety and Tolerability of Xanomeline and Trospium Chloride for the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Adolescents
Schizophrenia, Autism-Related Irritability
Not yet recruiting
Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia
Treatment Resistant Disorders
Not yet recruitingObservational study
Sleep Monitoring for Early Detection of Relapse in People With Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder Receiving Usual Treatment
Bipolar Disorder (BD), SCHIZOPHRENIA 1 (Disorder)
Not yet recruitingPhase 1
Pharmacokinetics and Relative Bioavailability of Intranasal vs Intramuscular Olanzapine in Healthy Adult Participants
Healthy Adult Participants
Active, not recruiting
Designing and Evaluating a Classroom-Based Mental Health Programme for Adolescents.
Mental Health Promotion
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
A. Eden Evins, M.D., M.P.H. principal investigator
Massachusetts General Hospital
Marc Kaufman, Ph.D. principal investigator
Mclean Hospital
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Sarcosine in people with Schizophrenia, run by Massachusetts General Hospital at 2 sites 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 5 inclusion and 9 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 18 Sep 2012. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
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.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Increases in brain glycine concentration as measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (time frame: baseline and endpoint). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00538070, which also lists 76 linked publications.
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 18 Sep 2012.