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Obstructive Sleep Apnea of AdultPhase 1/2NCT03255408

Cerebral Blood Flow and Ventilatory Responses During Sleep in Normoxia and Intermittent Hypoxia

A Phase 1/2 study testing Drug Lowering Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and Normoxia Sleep and Drug Lowering CBF and Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep in people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea of Adult and Hypoxia, Brain, run by University of Calgary at 1 site in Canada.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

A prospective double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized cross-over trial to evaluate the effect of lowering cerebral blood flow on the ventilatory chemoreflexes (acute hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 45 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Drug Lowering Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and Normoxia Sleep and Drug Lowering CBF and Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
12 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
1 Jan 2023to 30 Dec 2027
Phase
Phase 1/2
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 45 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Healthy adults
  • 18 - 45 years of age
  • Living in Calgary for the past one year
  • Have no medical condition or should not be taking any blood pressure medications.
  • The participant should not be lactose intolerant

Who cannot join

  • Cerebrovascular, cardio-respiratory, renal and metabolic diseases
  • Bleeding disorders and upper gastrointestinal diseases e.g. peptic ulcer disease
  • Pregnancy, obese and sleep-disordered breathing
  • Drug allergies to non-steroidal anti-inflammatories
  • Currently smoking

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
  • University of Calgary

    Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4N1

    Chair, Conjoint Ethics Board, chreb@ucalgary.ca

    Recruiting

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Role of Cerebral Blood Flow on Ventilatory Stability During Sleep in Normoxia and Intermittent Hypoxia

A prospective double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized cross-over trial to evaluate the effect of lowering cerebral blood flow on the ventilatory chemoreflexes (acute hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses).

Read the detailed description

The investigators will explore the relationship between changes in Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and ventilatory chemoreflexes i.e. Acute Ventilatory Response to Hypoxia (AHVR) and Acute Hypercapnic Ventilatory Response (HCVR) before, during and after sleep under normoxic conditions and sleep accompanied by isocapnic Intermittent Hypoxia (IH) among healthy human study participants.

A pharmacological intervention will be utilized to manipulate the CBF in a randomized order. The study participants will also be randomly assigned the order to sleep either under normoxia or IH exposure. The experiments will be separated from one another with an interval of sufficient drug and IH exposure washout period. The venous blood samples and urinary samples will be collected for the vascular biomarkers.

Being tested
Drug Lowering Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and Normoxia Sleep, Drug Lowering CBF and Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep, Placebo and Normoxia Sleep, Placebo and Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep
Medical subject headings
Hypoxia, Brain, Sleep Apnea Syndromes, Sleep Wake Disorders, Stroke

What participants receive

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

  • Drug Lowering Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and Normoxia SleepDrug

    Also called Cerebral Blood Flow changes and Normoxia Sleep

    The study participants will take Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) lowering drug and sleep under Normoxia Exposure

  • Drug Lowering CBF and Intermittent Hypoxia SleepDrug

    Also called CBF changes and Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep

    The study participants will take Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) lowering drug and sleep under Intermittent Hypoxia (IH) Exposure

  • Placebo and Normoxia SleepDrug

    Also called Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) with Placebo in Normoxia Sleep

    The study participants will take Placebo and sleep under Normoxia Exposure

  • Placebo and Intermittent Hypoxia SleepDrug

    Also called CBF with Placebo in Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep

    The study participants will take Placebo and sleep under Intermittent Hypoxia (IH) Exposure

Study groups in NCT03255408
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
CBF Lowering and Normoxia SleepActive comparatorStudy participants will take drug lowering Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and sleep under room air i.e. normoxia exposure.
Receives: Drug: Drug Lowering Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and Normoxia Sleep
CBF Lowering and IH SleepExperimentalStudy participants will take drug lowering Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and sleep under Intermittent Hypoxia (IH) exposure.
Receives: Drug: Drug Lowering CBF and Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep
Placebo and Normoxia SleepSham comparatorStudy participants will take Placebo that has no effect on Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and sleep under room air i.e. normoxia exposure.
Receives: Drug: Placebo and Normoxia Sleep
Placebo and IH SleepPlacebo comparatorStudy participants will take Placebo that has no effect on Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and sleep under Intermittent Hypoxia (IH) exposure.
Receives: Drug: Placebo and Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep

What is being measured

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

  1. Changes in cerebral blood flow and ventilatory chemoreflexes

    The relationship between changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and ventilatory chemoreflexes (acute hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses) before and after sleeping under normoxia and intermittent hypoxia exposure among healthy human study participants.

    Measured: ~18 months (from the starting time of recruiting study participants)

  2. Cerebral blood flow responses and ventilatory chemoreflexes during sleep

    The relationship between cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes and ventilatory chemoreflexes (acute hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses) during sleep under normoxia and intermittent hypoxia exposure among healthy human study participants.

    Measured: ~18 months (from the starting time of recruiting study participants)

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Changes in reactive oxygen species and vascular biomarkers

    The changes in vascular biomarkers such as nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species and exosome analysis or urinary prostaglandins before and after sleep under normoxia and intermittent hypoxia exposure with cerebral blood flow changes.

    Measured: ~24 months (from the starting time of recruiting study participants)

Timeline

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

  1. First posted21 Aug 2017
  2. Study start1 Jan 2023
  3. Primary completion30 Dec 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion30 Dec 2027 (estimated)

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 1/2
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
12 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03255408
Sponsor's protocol ID
REB13-0880
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
6 Aug 2017
Last updated
1 May 2026
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1/2 study testing Drug Lowering Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) and Normoxia Sleep and Drug Lowering CBF and Intermittent Hypoxia Sleep in people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea of Adult and Hypoxia, Brain, run by University of Calgary 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 5 inclusion and 5 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 May 2026. 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 combined 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.

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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

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

Each site lists its own contact: choose the nearest one under Trial locations. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Changes in cerebral blood flow and ventilatory chemoreflexes (time frame: ~18 months (from the starting time of recruiting study participants)). 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 1 May 2026.

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