AzTrials
AzTrials

Atomoxetine HydrochloridePhase 2NCT02788357

Post-stroke Neural Plasticity With Atomoxetine

A Phase 2 study testing Atomoxetine in people with Atomoxetine Hydrochloride and Placebos, run by Lumy Sawaki.

Completed

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

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

This proposal evaluates the safety and effectiveness of a noradrenergic drug named atomoxetine combined with motor training to enhance cortical plasticity and improve hand function after stroke. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 21 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
Atomoxetine Hydrochloride, Placebos
What is being tested?
Atomoxetine
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
12 participants
Where
No sites listed yet
Study dates
Nov 2006to Dec 2014
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 21 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Chronic stroke patients
  • Single stroke
  • Chronic (more than 6 months after from stroke)
  • At least 21 years old, but there is no upper age range for this project.
  • Participants NOT able to extend the affected metacarpophalangeal joints at least 10° and the wrist 20°.

Who cannot join

  • History of head injury with loss of consciousness
  • History of severe alcohol or drug abuse
  • History of psychiatric illness
  • Unstable cardiac dysrhythmia
  • High blood pressure (systolic pressure >160 mm Hg and/or diastolic pressure >100 mm Hg)
  • History of myocardial infarction or unstable angina
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Pregnancy
  • Glaucoma, history of hypersensitivity or idiosyncrasy to sympathomimetic drugs.
  • Subjects using drugs suspected of interfering with plasticity, such as MAOI, alpha-adrenergic antagonists, benzodiazepines, muscarinic receptor antagonists, dopaminergic antagonists, or other neuroleptics within 3 months of recruitment.

About this study

Official title: Enhancement of Post-stroke Neural Plasticity With Atomoxetine: a Pilot Study

This proposal evaluates the safety and effectiveness of a noradrenergic drug named atomoxetine combined with motor training to enhance cortical plasticity and improve hand function after stroke.

Read the detailed description

Extensive studies in laboratory animals and humans over the last ten years indicate that some medications, especially amphetamine, given with specific physical therapy may improve motor learning (and therefore recovery from stroke) more than physical therapy alone. However, the number of patients in clinical trials who have received physical therapy and amphetamine is very small, for two reasons: because amphetamine may interact with many other medications that stroke patients are already taking, and because its potential for addiction precludes its use on a daily basis. The investigators now wish to evaluate the effectiveness of a more selective medication, atomoxetine, known to have many fewer side effects and no potential for drug addiction. The proposed mechanism by which amphetamine enhances recovery is by increasing central levels of norepinephrine. While the investigators already know that this drug is more selective than amphetamine, the investigators would like to evaluate its effects on hand motor learning and motor recovery in chronic stroke patients in a clinical setting.

Being tested
Atomoxetine, Placebo
Keywords
motor training, motor recovery, human, neuroplasticity, transcranial magnetic stimulation

What participants receive

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

  • AtomoxetineDrug

    Also called Strattera

    Subjects will receive a single daily oral dose of 40 mg of atomoxetine. We will administer 2 hours/daily of motor training sixty minutes after drug intake.

  • PlaceboDrug

    Also called Sham

    Subjects will receive a single daily oral dose of placebo. We will administer 2 hours/daily of motor training sixty minutes after drug intake.

Study groups in NCT02788357
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Atomoxetine with motor trainingExperimental40 mg atomoxetine paired with task-oriented therapy for 10 consecutive weekdays
Receives: Drug: Atomoxetine
Placebo with motor trainingPlacebo comparatorPlacebo capsules paired with task-oriented therapy for 10 consecutive weekdays
Receives: Drug: Placebo

What is being measured

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

  1. Change in Fugl Meyer Assessment

    Score after intervention minus baseline score, score at 1-month follow-up minus baseline score. The possible scores range from 0 to 66, with 66 indicating the best performance.

    Measured: baseline, post-intervention, 1-month follow-up

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Change in Action Arm Research Test (ARAT)

    Score at post-intervention minus baseline, score at 1-month follow-up minus baseline. The score is calculated by summing the scores for 19 individual tasks. The possible scores range from 0 to 57, with higher scores indicating better performance.

    Measured: baseline, post-intervention, 1-month follow-up

  2. Change in Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT)

    Score at post-intervention minus baseline, score at 1-month follow-up minus baseline. Each task is scored as amount of time taken to complete a task, which may range from just over 0 to 120 seconds. If the subject is unable to complete the task within 120 seconds, a score of 121 seconds is given. The scores from the 15 individual tasks are averaged, then the log is taken, resulting in the overall score. Therefore, the larger the score, the longer required to perform the tasks. Negative changes in score indicate that a subject, on average, was able to complete the tasks faster at post-intervention or at 1-month follow-up than at baseline.

    Measured: baseline, post-intervention, 1-month follow-up

  3. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

    Measured: Score change after 10 days of intervention compared to baseline; Score change after 1-month after the intervention compared to baseline

Timeline

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

  1. First posted2 Jun 2016 (estimated)
  2. Study startNov 2006
  3. Primary completionDec 2012
  4. Study completionDec 2014

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
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
12 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02788357
Sponsor's protocol ID
No ID
Status last verified
Jul 2017
First submitted
27 May 2016
Last updated
14 Aug 2017
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Ward A, Carrico C, Powell E, Westgate PM, Nichols L, Fleischer A, Sawaki L. Safety and improvement of movement function after stroke with atomoxetine: A pilot randomized trial. Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2017;35(1):1-10. doi: 10.3233/RNN-160673.

    PubMed 27858723

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Atomoxetine in people with Atomoxetine Hydrochloride and Placebos, run by Lumy Sawaki.

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 14 Aug 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

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 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 14 Aug 2017). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Change in Fugl Meyer Assessment (time frame: baseline, post-intervention, 1-month follow-up). 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 NCT02788357, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 14 Aug 2017.

Free account

Keep searching with a free account

You’ve used your 3 free searches for this session. Log in or create a free AzTrials account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in