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HypothyroidismNCT04098991

Improving White Matter Integrity With Thyroid Hormone

An observational study of Hypothyroidism, run by University of Illinois Chicago at 1 site in United States.

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

Animal studies have shown that thyroid hormone can improve white matter integrity after damage to myelin, which insulates and protects nerves. It is currently unknown whether this type of repair can occur in humans. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 21 to 60 years
Conditions the study is for
Hypothyroidism
What is being tested?
Levothyroxine
How many people
5 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
8 Nov 2017to 8 Nov 2019
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 21 to 60 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult

Study population: We are seeking a population of subjects clinically indicated to receive thyroid hormone for hypothyroidism.

Who may be able to join

  • Age: 21-60 years of age
  • A diagnosis of primary hypothyroidism from autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto)
  • Able to give informed consent.

Who cannot join

  • Major depressive disorder with or without active suicidal ideation
  • Mild or major neurocognitive disorder;
  • Presence of contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging (presence of ferrous-containing metals within the body (e.g., aneurysm clips, shrapnel/retained particles)
  • Inability to tolerate small, enclosed spaces without anxiety (e.g., claustrophobia)
  • Unwilling/unable to sign informed consent document
  • Positive urine drug screen results;
  • Pregnancy (positive pregnancy test), trying to become pregnant, or lactation

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Illinois at Chicago

    Chicago, Illinois, 60612

Other trials in United States

About this study

Animal studies have shown that thyroid hormone can improve white matter integrity after damage to myelin, which insulates and protects nerves. It is currently unknown whether this type of repair can occur in humans. The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the impact of thyroid hormone on white matter integrity in humans using two complementary, state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques: high angular diffusion imaging and multicomponent relaxometry.

Read the detailed description

The ability to promote and support remyelination has wide-ranging implications for a number of neuropsychiatric conditions from multiple sclerosis to major depression. Pre-clinical evidence has demonstrated that thyroid hormone treatment, in the form of triiodothyronine (T3) or tetraiodothyronine (T4), can promote and support remyelination by increasing myelin basic protein mRNA and protein, oligodendrocyte proliferation and maturation, and fractional anisotropy (a diffusion imaging measure of white matter integrity). Pilot data from the investigator's studies suggest that baseline thyroid status is correlated with the integrity of white matter tracts associated with major depression. To date, the impact of thyroid hormone administration on white matter tracts has not been studied in vivo in adult humans. The purpose of the proposed pilot study is to examine changes in white matter tract integrity using high angular diffusion imaging and multi-component relaxometry in a population of subjects clinically indicated to receive thyroid hormone for hypothyroidism. The investigators will scan patients with hypothyroidism at the initiation of treatment and at three and six months after starting thyroid hormone treatment. The investigators will also administer scales assessing mood and cognition which have been shown to correlate with white matter integrity. The investigators hypothesize that thyroid hormone treatment will be associated with an increase in fractional anisotropy, a decrease in radial diffusivity, and an increase in the myelin water fraction (markers of improved myelination) that will correlate with improvements in cognition and mood ratings. If successful, this will be the first demonstration of improved white matter integrity with thyroid hormone replacement and pave the way for therapies designed to restore structural brain connectivity.

Conditions
Hypothyroidism
Being tested
Levothyroxine
Keywords
neuroimaging, thyroid, white matter
Medical subject headings
Hypothyroidism, Thyroid Diseases

What participants receive

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

  • LevothyroxineDrug

    All participants will be treated for their hypothyroidism according to the standard of care as reflected in recent guidelines from the American Thyroid Association.

Study groups in NCT04098991
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Participants with primary hypothyroidismAll participants will receive the same treatment (levothyroxine, a synthetic T4 hormone replacement) at a dose that will be titrated using serum thyrotropin (TSH) levels as a goal, according to the American Thyroid Association Task Force recommendations
Receives: Drug: Levothyroxine

What is being measured

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

  1. High Angular Diffusion Tensor Imaging

    Change in baseline white matter track integrity at 3 months and 6 months

    Measured: 6 months

  2. Multi-Component Relaxometry

    Change in baseline white matter track integrity at 3 months and 6 months

    Measured: 6 months

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Patient Health Questionaire

    Self-report measure of depression severity, Items are summed (Not at all = 0; Several days = 1; More than half the days = 2; Nearly every day = 3), yielding a score from 0 to 27

    Measured: Collected at Baseline, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up

  2. NIH Toolbox : Dimensional Change Card Sort Test

    Behavioral measures of executive functioning

    Measured: Collected at Baseline, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up

  3. NIH Toolbox : Pattern Comparison Processing Speed Test

    Behavioral measures of processing-speed measure

    Measured: Collected at Baseline, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up

  4. NIH Toolbox : Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test

    Behavioral measures of attention

    Measured: Collected at Baseline, 3 month follow-up, 6 month follow-up

Timeline

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

  1. First posted23 Sep 2019
  2. Study start8 Nov 2017
  3. Primary completion8 Nov 2019
  4. Study completion8 Nov 2019

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
5 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04098991
Sponsor's protocol ID
2016-0678
Other IDs
5R21NS095723
Status last verified
Apr 2020
First submitted
27 Feb 2018
Last updated
10 Apr 2020
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Hypothyroidism, run by University of Illinois Chicago at 1 site 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 3 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 10 Apr 2020. 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 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. 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?

High Angular Diffusion Tensor Imaging (time frame: 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 10 Apr 2020.

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