Healthy VolunteersPhase 1NCT02453698
Stimulant Effects on Brain Activity
A Phase 1 study testing Methylphenidate in people with Healthy Volunteers, run by The Hospital for Sick Children at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Methylphenidate on neural activity underlying inhibitory control and error monitoring in healthy adults. More specifically, the investigators aim to establish the baseline modulatory effect of Mehtlylphenidate on bottom-up and top-down aspects of these cognitive… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 35 years, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy Volunteers
- What is being tested?
- Methylphenidate
- Type of treatment
- Pill or oral medicine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 19 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- Jan 2011to Mar 2012
- Phase
- Phase 1
- 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 35 years
- Men only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Healthy, non-smoking, male and female volunteers, between 18 to 35 years of age inclusive, right-handed
- Body Mass Index that is within 18.5-29.9 kg/m2, inclusive
- Healthy, according to the medical history, vital signs, and physical examination (within 2 years prior to study enrollment)
- Systolic blood pressure between 100-140 mmHg, inclusive, and diastolic blood pressure between 60-90 mmHg, inclusive, and heart rate between 50-100 bpm, inclusive, unless deemed not clinically significant by the Principal Investigator/ Sub-Investigator?
- Capable of giving written informed consent prior to receiving any study medication
- Female subjects must fulfill at least one of the following:
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- Agree to avoid pregnancy and use medically acceptable method of contraception from at least 30 days prior to the study, during the study, and until 30 days after the study has ended (last study procedure). Medically acceptable methods of contraception include oral contraceptives, hormonal patch, implant or injection intrauterine device, or double barrier method (condom with foam or vaginal spermicidal suppository, diaphragm with spermicide). Complete abstinence alone can be used as a method of contraception.
- Be surgically sterile for a minimum of 6 months
- Post-menopausal for a minimum of 1 year
Who cannot join
- Known history or presence of any clinically significant hepatic (e.g. hepatic necrosis, jaundice, hepatobiliary disease), renal, gastrointestinal (e.g. peptic ulcer), cardiovascular (e.g. angina, myocardial infarction), cerebrovascular, pulmonary, endocrine (e.g. diabetes, hypophosphatemia), immunological, musculoskeletal (e.g. rhabdomyolysis, myopathy), neurological, psychiatric, dermatological, or hematological disease or condition
- Presence of any clinically significant illness within 30 days prior to dosing
- Presence of any significant physical or organ abnormality
- Known history or presence of:
- Alcohol abuse or dependence within one year prior to drug administration
- Drug abuse or dependence
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- Hypersensitivity to methylphenidate or other medications
- Gout
- Food allergies and/or presence of any dietary restrictions
- Severe allergic reactions (e.g. anaphylactic reactions, angioedema)
- Participation in another clinical trial or receiving an investigational drug within 30 days of the study commencement or during the study
- Use of any prescription medication within 14 days prior to drug administration (except for hormonal contraceptives)
- Use of any over-the-counter medications (including herbal and/or dietary supplements and/or teas) within 14 days prior to drug administration (except for spermicidal/barrier contraceptive products)
- Any major surgery within 6 months prior to the start of the study
- Pregnant or lactating
- Lactose intolerance
- Contraindication for MRI (using hospital's standard screening procedure)
- Smoking
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Stimulant Effects on Brain Activity During the Stop Signal Task
The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Methylphenidate on neural activity underlying inhibitory control and error monitoring in healthy adults. More specifically, the investigators aim to establish the baseline modulatory effect of Mehtlylphenidate on bottom-up and top-down aspects of these cognitive processes. This work will further our understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Methylphenidate, and executive functioning.
Read the detailed description
Methylphenidate (MPH) is the stimulant medication most commonly used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). MPH suppresses the reuptake of dopamine by blocking dopamine transporter, which is elevated in ADHD. However, the precise mechanism by which suppressed dopamine transporter activity relieves ADHD symptoms is not fully understood, partly because dopamine pathways are implicated in various processes that could play a role in the deficits of ADHD and other disorders. MPH-induced dopamine variation has extensive effects in the brain and influences various executive functions in unknown ways.
Hypotheses:
Inhibitory Control: The investigators predict that MPH should increase the top-down activity in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex associated with response restraint during go-phases and bottom-up activity in caudate and right inferior frontal cortex associated with response cancellation during successful stop trials. A greater modulation of top-down or bottom-up activity would imply a selective effect of MPH on one pathway over the other.
Error Processing: The investigators predict that MPH should increase the intensity of deactivation in the bottom-up dopamine pathway on error detection (substantia nigra, dorsal striatum and ACC), and increase the intensity of deactivation in the top-down pathway on post-error slowing (caudal OFC, ventral striatum, ventral substantia nigra). A greater modulation of top-down or bottom-up activity would imply a selective effect of MPH on one pathway over the other.
- Conditions
- Healthy Volunteers
- Being tested
- Methylphenidate, Placebo
- Keywords
- Stop task, modulatory effect of MPH, bottom-up and top-down, cognitive processes
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
MethylphenidateDrug
oral dose of methylphenidate. The MPH dose was selected based on previous studies in healthy adults (Mehta et al., 2000; Volkow, Fowler, Wang, Ding, \& Gatley, 2002) and adults with ADHD (Aron et al., 2003). MPH reaches its peak plasma concentration 1-3 hours after an oral dose, and has a plasma half-life of 1.5-2.5 hours.
PlaceboOther
Lactose Placebo
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Methylphenidate | Experimental | Not described Receives: Drug: Methylphenidate |
| Control Group | Placebo comparator | Not described Receives: Other: Placebo |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Neural activity assessed using fMRI
Assessed using fMRI
Measured: 7 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 May 2015 (estimated)
- Study startJan 2011
- Primary completionJan 2012
- Study completionMar 2012
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Healthy VolunteersStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by The Hospital for Sick ChildrenThe 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 1
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 19 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- The Hospital for Sick Children
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Russell Schachar, The Hospital for Sick Children
- Investigators
- Russell Schachar, MD, Principal investigator, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Canada
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02453698
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1000020845
- Status last verified
- May 2015
- First submitted
- 21 May 2015
- Last updated
- 25 May 2015
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 25 May 2015. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Stimulant Effects on Brain Activity During the Stop Signal Task
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02453698
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 1000020845
- Conditions
- Healthy Volunteers
- Keywords
- Stop task, modulatory effect of MPH, bottom-up and top-down, cognitive processes
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 19 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- The Hospital for Sick ChildrenUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Jan 2011
- Primary completion
- Jan 2012 (actual)
- Study completion
- Mar 2012 (actual)
- First posted
- 25 May 2015 (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 aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Methylphenidate on neural activity underlying inhibitory control and error monitoring in healthy adults. More specifically, the investigators aim to establish the baseline modulatory effect of Mehtlylphenidate on bottom-up and top-down aspects of these cognitive processes. This work will further our understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Methylphenidate, and executive functioning.
Detailed description
Methylphenidate (MPH) is the stimulant medication most commonly used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). MPH suppresses the reuptake of dopamine by blocking dopamine transporter, which is elevated in ADHD. However, the precise mechanism by which suppressed dopamine transporter activity relieves ADHD symptoms is not fully understood, partly because dopamine pathways are implicated in various processes that could play a role in the deficits of ADHD and other disorders. MPH-induced dopamine variation has extensive effects in the brain and influences various executive functions in unknown ways.
Hypotheses:
Inhibitory Control: The investigators predict that MPH should increase the top-down activity in right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex associated with response restraint during go-phases and bottom-up activity in caudate and right inferior frontal cortex associated with response cancellation during successful stop trials. A greater modulation of top-down or bottom-up activity would imply a selective effect of MPH on one pathway over the other.
Error Processing: The investigators predict that MPH should increase the intensity of deactivation in the bottom-up dopamine pathway on error detection (substantia nigra, dorsal striatum and ACC), and increase the intensity of deactivation in the top-down pathway on post-error slowing (caudal OFC, ventral striatum, ventral substantia nigra). A greater modulation of top-down or bottom-up activity would imply a selective effect of MPH on one pathway over the other.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Methylphenidate | Experimental | Drug: Methylphenidate |
| Control Group | Placebo comparator | Other: Placebo |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 35 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (9 listed)
- Healthy, non-smoking, male and female volunteers, between 18 to 35 years of age inclusive, right-handed
- Body Mass Index that is within 18.5-29.9 kg/m2, inclusive
- Healthy, according to the medical history, vital signs, and physical examination (within 2 years prior to study enrollment)
- Systolic blood pressure between 100-140 mmHg, inclusive, and diastolic blood pressure between 60-90 mmHg, inclusive, and heart rate between 50-100 bpm, inclusive, unless deemed not clinically significant by the Principal Investigator/ Sub-Investigator?
- Capable of giving written informed consent prior to receiving any study medication
Key exclusion criteria (18 listed)
- Known history or presence of any clinically significant hepatic (e.g. hepatic necrosis, jaundice, hepatobiliary disease), renal, gastrointestinal (e.g. peptic ulcer), cardiovascular (e.g. angina, myocardial infarction), cerebrovascular, pulmonary, endocrine (e.g. diabetes, hypophosphatemia), immunological, musculoskeletal (e.g. rhabdomyolysis, myopathy), neurological, psychiatric, dermatological, or hematological disease or condition
- Presence of any clinically significant illness within 30 days prior to dosing
- Presence of any significant physical or organ abnormality
- Known history or presence of:
- Participation in another clinical trial or receiving an investigational drug within 30 days of the study commencement or during the study
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Methylphenidateoral dose of methylphenidate. The MPH dose was selected based on previous studies in healthy adults (Mehta et al., 2000; Volkow, Fowler, Wang, Ding, \& Gatley, 2002) and adults with ADHD (Aron et al., 2003). MPH reaches its peak plasma concentration 1-3 hours after an oral dose, and has a plasma half-life of 1.5-2.5 hours. | Drug | Methylphenidate |
| PlaceboLactose Placebo | Other | Control Group |
Primary outcome
Neural activity assessed using fMRI
Time frame: 7 days
Assessed using fMRI
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 25 May 2015.
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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.
Russell Schachar, MD principal investigator
The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Canada
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 1 study testing Methylphenidate in people with Healthy Volunteers, run by The Hospital for Sick Children at 1 site in Canada.
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 9 inclusion and 18 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 25 May 2015. 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 Canada. 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.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.
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.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Neural activity assessed using fMRI (time frame: 7 days). 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 25 May 2015.