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HIV Related Neurocognitive ImpairmentMSM NeurocogNCT01508559

Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) Neurocog 1&2 Study

An observational study of HIV Related Neurocognitive Impairment, run by St Stephens Aids Trust at 1 site in United Kingdom.

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

The treatment of HIV and the tests performed for HIV care have changed over the last 20 years but improvement of management of HIV-infected subjects is still warranted. The investigators would like to collect and analyse clinical information obtained from subjects who are between 18 and 50 years of age. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 49 years, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
HIV Related Neurocognitive Impairment
How many people
237 participants
Where
1 siteUnited Kingdom
Study dates
Sep 2011to Dec 2013
Phase
Observational
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 49 years
  • Men only
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Study population: HIV infected and uninfected MSM 18-50 years old

Who may be able to join

  • All subjects
  • 18-49 years inclusive
  • Identifying as MSM
  • Willing and able to provide written informed consent
  • Able to complete screening tools.
  • Fluent in spoken and written English
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Patients who have given written and dated informed consent to participate in this study and to use the data.
  • Patients co-infected with chronic hepatitis B/C (diagnosed serologically at least 6 months prior to study to exclude seroconversion/recent infection) and/or currently using recreational substances including alcohol will be included in this study ("real world" data)
  • HIV-infected subjects • Known HIV of at least 6 months duration (in order to exclude symptoms associated with primary HIV infection)
  • HIV-uninfected controls
  • HIV-negative by rapid point of care test (POCT) or standard laboratory testing
  • No unprotected anal intercourse (UPAI) in last 3 months

Who cannot join

  • All subjects
  • HIV or hepatitis B/C infection thought to have occurred in the last 6 months
  • Current/active central nervous system (CNS) opportunistic infections or CNS malignancies.
  • Previous cerebrovascular accidents (CVA/stroke) or history of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs).
  • Neuromuscular disease that will limit ability to perform the screening tests.
  • Patients receiving current therapy with ribavirin or interferon for hepatitis co-infection or expected to start such therapy in the coming 12 months
  • Current medical or psychiatric/psychological condition deemed significant by the investigator o (e.g. psychosis, bipolar disorder, dementia, eating disorders, severe head injury (loss of consciousness for at least an hour), current CNS opportunistic infection)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United Kingdom1 site
  • SSAT Clinical Trials Unit

    London, SW10 9NH

Other trials in United Kingdom

About this study

Official title: Neurocognitive Function in a Central London Cohort of HIV Infected and Uninfected Men Who Have Sex With Men

The treatment of HIV and the tests performed for HIV care have changed over the last 20 years but improvement of management of HIV-infected subjects is still warranted. The investigators would like to collect and analyse clinical information obtained from subjects who are between 18 and 50 years of age. The investigators will look at routine clinic information such as blood pressure, recent blood test results and clinical history. The investigators will then assess cognitive (brain) function by talking and/or written tests. These tests will include tests for memory, depression and anxiety.

All of those who are identified as having problems with their brain function in this way will be offered onward referral for further assessment as appropriate. Those taking part will be offered a follow up visit at 24-48 weeks after the first assessment to see if there are any changes. This will allow us to understand how brain problems develop, get worse, or get better over time. No genetic research will be done. Depression is a mental health condition that can be characterized by negative feelings, a generally low mood, or problems with eating and sleeping normally. Anxiety is also a mental health condition where a person can feel general anxiousness or fear of specific situations, or, in more serious cases, can have panic attacks. Impaired brain function is a condition of the nervous system or brain where the brain does not function as well as it normally should, and can include symptoms such as forgetfulness, doing everyday tasks more slowly or becoming disorientated to the time of day or the place one is in.

Read more

For this study, the investigators will also collect data from medical records, including (and if known)social and educational-related data, HIV infection-related data (e.g. date of diagnosis, blood test results), relevant medical history (e.g. previous psychiatric conditions) and medication used (e.g. date started, the drugs used).

The information the investigators will get from this study will be used to inform healthcare providers (doctor, nurse, health advisor, psychologist) on whether it is necessary to routinely assess HIV infected patients for the presence of anxiety/depression and impaired brain function. The investigators will also get information on whether the treatments used for HIV infection make a difference to how commonly these conditions occur in patients.

Read the detailed description

The aim of this project is to examine neurocognitive functioning in HIV infected men who have sex with men (MSMs). We have limited our study to this group in order to better study other shared risk factors (hepatitis coinfection, recreational drug use). Given ongoing work in an older cohort our aim is to study neurocognitive impairment in younger subjects (18-49 years). There are two parts to this study. The first is a cross sectional pilot (MSM Neurocog-1) looking at neurocognitive function in HIV infected and HIV uninfected MSMs. The second plan is for a prospective 48 week cohort study 24-48 week study (MSM Neurocog-2) following neurocognitive function in HIV infected subjects and a group of HIV uninfected controls over time.

The shift in HIV care to that of a chronic, manageable condition has transferred focus to long-term morbidities and drug toxicities. One such area in which there is renewed interest is the prevalence and relevance of neurocognitive impairment, as well as the significance of compartmentalised virus in the CSF as compared to blood. Controlled, comparative data are lacking - many of the cross-sectional studies to date have not controlled for important confounders such as recreational and injecting drug use, current or prior co-infections or co-morbidities. Where this has happened, researchers generally use general population controls that may differ markedly from HIV-infected individuals in terms of lifestyle and demographic factors. In addition the paucity of longitudinal data means it is unclear whether an individual with normal neurocognitive function pre-ART will develop impairment later or if subjects with evidence of impairment can expect improvement or normalisation over time; these issues are highly important for clinical management and patient counselling. There is no consensus on which surrogate markers, if any, are important in terms of diagnosing, monitoring and/or predicting neurocognitive impairment. Studies measuring correlation between neurocognitive performance and neuronal markers of inflammation have been conflicting.

Keywords
HIV, Neurocognitive

What participants receive

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

Study groups in NCT01508559
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
HIV infectedHIV infected MSM 18-50 years old
HIV uninfectedHIV uninfected MSM 18-50 years old

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Neurocognitive screening score

    To describe the prevalence of a positive screening for neurocognitive impairment (NCI) HIV infected and uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM) population using the Basic Neurocognitive Score (BNCS) and International HIV Dementia Score (IHDS) as validated screening tools

    Measured: 0-6 months

  2. Change in neurocognitive function

    To follow neurocognitive function over time in a cohort of HIV infected and uninfected MSMs

    Measured: 0-6 months

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Demographics

    To explore possible correlations between baseline demographics and disease characteristics and prevalence of positive screens for anxiety and/or depressive symptoms and NCI

    Measured: 0-6 months

  2. Biomarkers

    To look for possible markers of NCI on MRI scanning or on serological/CSF analysis

    Measured: 0-6 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted12 Jan 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2011
  3. Primary completionDec 2013
  4. Study completionDec 2013

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
237 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01508559
Sponsor's protocol ID
MSM Neurocog
Acronym
MSM Neurocog
Status last verified
Apr 2014
First submitted
9 Jan 2012
Last updated
11 Apr 2014
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of HIV Related Neurocognitive Impairment, run by St Stephens Aids Trust at 1 site in United Kingdom.

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 12 inclusion and 7 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 11 Apr 2014. 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 Kingdom. 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.

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?

Neurocognitive screening score (time frame: 0-6 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

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 11 Apr 2014.

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