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Intrusive ThoughtTRAUMA-PRONCT04508166

Towards a Post-exposition Pharmacological Prophylaxis for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

A study testing Dexmedetomidine, Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate and Experimental Model Trauma Film in people with Intrusive Thought and Psychological Trauma, run by Psychiatric University Hospital, Zurich at 1 site in Switzerland.

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

In this study, we investigate the role that deep sleep plays in the prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder after someone has been exposed to a trauma by boosting deep sleep with two drug conditions compared to placebo condition. Each volunteer in the study goes through all three conditions. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 35 years, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
What is being tested?
Dexmedetomidine, Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate and Experimental Model Trauma Film
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
27 participants
Where
1 siteSwitzerland
Study dates
1 Oct 2021to 29 Jan 2022
Phase
Interventional
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

  • Speaks and understands German
  • BMI 18.5 -< 25
  • Non-smoker status
  • Habitual 5 or fewer alcoholic beverages / week
  • Habitual 3 or fewer caffeinated beverages / day
  • Habitual average sleep duration 7-9 h / night
  • Normal or corrected-to-normal vision
  • Insomnia Severity Index score between 8-14

Who cannot join

  • Travel across 3 or more time zones within 3 months of study start
  • Habitual napping
  • Extreme chronotype, determined by Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire
  • History of or presence of a trauma- or stressor-related disorder
  • History of or presence of neurological disorder, psychiatric disorder or head injury
  • History of or presence of a sleep disorder
Show all 11Show fewer
  • History of or presence of cardiovascular disorder
  • Use of illicit drugs
  • Atypical preference for excessively violent portrayals
  • Faints at the site of blood or brutality
  • Has participated in a study < 30 days or a study such as this (i.e., experimental trauma) at all.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Switzerland1 site
  • University of Zurich

    Zurich, Select An Option…, 8057

Other trials in Switzerland

About this study

Official title: Pharmacological Prevention of Post-traumatic Intrusions in Healthy Volunteers - Towards a Post-exposition Prophylaxis for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

In this study, we investigate the role that deep sleep plays in the prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder after someone has been exposed to a trauma by boosting deep sleep with two drug conditions compared to placebo condition. Each volunteer in the study goes through all three conditions. The quantity of intrusive memories of the trauma will be compared between the three conditions.

Read the detailed description

The present study seeks to investigate the potential to pharmacologically modulate slow-wave sleep in the acute aftermath of an experimentally-induced trauma in the interest of developing a secondary prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder. The effects of a GABAergic compound will be compared with that of a noradrenergic compound. Memory, sleep and stress-related immune response factors will be quantified and compared across drug conditions.

Being tested
Dexmedetomidine, Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate, Placebo, Experimental Model Trauma Film
Medical subject headings
Psychological Trauma

What participants receive

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

  • DexmedetomidineDrug

    Also called Dexdor

    Volunteers receive a single dose of dexmedetomidine sublingually at scheduled bedrest in the sleep laboratory

  • Gamma-HydroxybutyrateDrug

    Also called Xyrem

    Volunteers receive a single oral dose of gamma-hydroxybutyrate at scheduled bedrest in the sleep laboratory

  • PlaceboDrug

    Volunteers receive an oral (saline) or sublingual (orodispersible tablet) at scheduled bedrest in the sleep laboratory

  • Experimental Model Trauma FilmBehavioural

    Each volunteer views experimental model trauma film before scheduled bedrest in the sleep laboratory. This video is ca. 15 minutes in duration and is composed of short (a few seconds to a few minutes) individual and unrelated scenes of violent death and injury of varying description. Six versions of the film without re-occurring scenes will be presented in balanced order across drug order conditions.

Study groups in NCT04508166
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
DexmedetomidineExperimentalSublingual dose of dexmedetomidine
Receives: Drug: Dexmedetomidine; Drug: Placebo; Behavioral: Experimental Model Trauma Film
Gamma-hydroxybutyrateActive comparatorOral dose of gamma-hydroxybutyrate
Receives: Drug: Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate; Drug: Placebo; Behavioral: Experimental Model Trauma Film
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorOral (saline) and sublingual (orodispersible tablet) doses
Receives: Drug: Dexmedetomidine; Drug: Placebo; Behavioral: Experimental Model Trauma Film

What is being measured

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

  1. Frequency of intrusive memories

    The number of intrusive memories of the experimental model trauma film experienced. The number of intrusive memories will be recorded in a diary by participants.

    Measured: Three weeks

  2. Emotional valence of intrusive memories

    The emotional valence will be recorded in a diary after experiencing an intrusive memory in an integer scale. The integer scale will range from 1 to 10, where 1 indicates the lowest and 10 indicates the highest.

    Measured: Three weeks

  3. Personal significance of intrusive memories

    Personal significance of intrusive memories will be recorded in a diary after experiencing an intrusive memory in an integer scale. The integer scale will range from 1 to 10, where 1 indicates the lowest and 10 indicates the highest.

    Measured: Three weeks

  4. Oscillatory delta power in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) during non rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stages N2 and N3

    Power in units microvolts squared will be quantified by fast Fourier transform in 4 second segment length in EEG sleep recordings in the delta frequency bin (0.5 - 4.5 Hz).Higher value of delta power indicates greater homeostatic sleep pressure, i.e., the feeling of need for sleep.

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  5. Oscillatory theta power in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) during non rapid eye movement sleep stages N2 and N3

    Power in units microvolts squared will be quantified by fast Fourier transform in 4 second segment length in EEG sleep recordings in the theta frequency bin (6 - 9 Hz). Higher value of theta power indicates greater homeostatic sleep pressure, i.e., the feeling of need for sleep.

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  6. EEG measures of sleep quality: distribution of N2 and N3 sleep stages.

    Number of non-REM sleep stages N2 and N3. Greater number of stages N2 and N3 indicate greater homeostatic sleep pressure, i.e., the feeling of need for sleep.

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  7. EEG measures of sleep quality: number of arousals

    Number of arousals Arousals are defined by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as an increase in EEG frequency at least 3 seconds in NREM sleep in alpha, theta or higher frequencies, excluding spindles; must be accompanied by a minimum of 1 second of muscle activity during REM sleep. The greater the number of arousals indicates the lower homeostatic sleep pressure is in healthy individuals. Normal number of arousals for a healthy adult is ca. 80 per 8 hour sleep episode.

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  8. EEG measures of sleep quality: sleep onset latency

    Sleep onset latency represents elapsed time from intention to initiate sleep until sleep is initiated (defined as the occurrence of any stage of sleep by the AASM). Longer latencies indicate lower homeostatic sleep pressure or some maladaptive, e.g., rumination, stress, or pathological state, e.g., insomnia, posttraumatic stress. Normal latencies for healthy adults is 10 - 20 minutes.

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  9. EEG measures of sleep quality: sleep duration

    Sleep duration represents the duration in time of a sleep episode excluding any intervening stages of waking. Typical sleep duration in the healthy adult population is ca. 8 hours. Extreme sleep durations (<5 or <6 hr or >10 hr) have been associated with cardiometabolic illness risk.

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  10. EEG measures of sleep quality: sleep efficiency

    Sleep efficiency represents how efficient a given sleep episode is and is defined as the duration of sleep (i.e., time spent in all NREM and REM sleep stages) divided b by the total time spent in bed and multiplied by 100. Normal sleep efficiency is 80% or greater. Efficiencies less than this value could raise questions of sleep satiety, maladaptive behavior (e.g., alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption, sleep at incongruent circadian phase) or pathological health conditions (e.g., restless legs, disordered breathing, insomnia).

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

Secondary outcomes (10)
  1. Physiological stress: circulating cortisol

    Cortisol (nmol/l) is a marker of stress activation and will be quantified by salivary assay. Greater values indicate greater stress response. Salivary cortisol concentrations vary by sex; in males it ranges under normal conditions from 1-50 nmol/l.

    Measured: Four nights, each morning a week apart, spanning one month

  2. Physiological stress: electrocardiogram (ECG) heart rate (HR)

    Average resting ECG HR during waking in healthy adult males is 75 bpm (range: 60 - 100 bpm). Higher HR from an individual's baseline HR during and after experimental model trauma will be indicative of increases in sympathetic activation of heart function.

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  3. Physiological stress: respirometry respiration rate

    Resting respiration rate of an adult male is 12 - 16 breaths per minute. Increases in the number of breaths per minute will indicate increase in sympathetic activation of the autonomic system.

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  4. Physiological stress: electrocardiogram (ECG) heart rate variability (HRV)

    Heart rate variability will be quantified by measuring inter-beat intervals of the ECG. The normal-to-normal interval will be taken, which is the interpolated interval between normal R peaks of the QRS wave complex of the ECG. HRV values indicate performance of the autonomic nervous system in a given context. Higher values of sympathetic activation will be expected during experimental model trauma film exposure.

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  5. Physiological stress: inflammatory immune factors (cytokines and kynurenines)

    Lower concentration values of immune factors will be expected in GHB or DMTN conditions compared to placebo conditions.

    Measured: Four mornings, each morning a week apart, spanning one month

  6. Subjective ratings of mood: Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS)

    The PANAS scale assesses affect and is comprised of a positive affect subscales and a negative affect subscale. The range of scores of either are 10 - 50. Higher scores in the positive subscale indicate higher (i.e., "better") mood; lower scores in the negative affect subscale indicate lower (i.e., "worse") mood. Mean (i.e., scores for normal healthy adults) respective scores for the positive and negative subscales are 33.3 (standard deviation [SD] = 7.2) and 17.4 (SD = 6.2).

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  7. Subjective ratings of mood: State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)

    The STAI assesses anxiety and is composed of a state and a trait scale. Scores in either can range from 20 - 80, and higher scores indicate greater anxiety. Mean scores for healthy adult males of the state and trait scales are, respectively 35.7 (SD = 10.4) and 34.9 (SD = 9.2).

    Measured: Four nights, each night a week apart, spanning one month

  8. Awakening response: cortisol

    Salivary cortisol samples will be taken at regular intervals each morning in the lab to assess the awakening response. Higher values of cortisol concentrations indicate an stronger signal in this process of gaining alertness after sleep.

    Measured: Four mornings, each morning a week apart, spanning one month

  9. Awakening response: Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT)

    To assess behavioral response to awaking after sleep, a simple 10 minute reaction time task at the computer called the PVT will be administered. Typical reaction times for an adult are < 500 ms from stimulus presentation. Higher values will be expected for greater degree of sleep inertia after awakening.

    Measured: Four mornings, each morning a week apart, spanning one month

  10. Sleep inertia Questionnaire - Acute (SIQ - Acute)

    The SIQ - Acute assesses the subjective experience of the process of regaining alertness after waking from a sleep episode. Scores range from -66 to +66, higher scores indicating greater difficulty in regaining normal levels of alertness.

    Measured: Four mornings, each morning a week apart, spanning one month

Timeline

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

  1. First posted11 Aug 2020
  2. Study start1 Oct 2021
  3. Primary completion29 Jan 2022
  4. Study completion29 Jan 2022

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
27 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04508166
Sponsor's protocol ID
TRAUMA-PROPHYLAXIS
Acronym
TRAUMA-PRO
Status last verified
Oct 2022
First submitted
31 Jul 2020
Last updated
4 Oct 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Dexmedetomidine, Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate and Experimental Model Trauma Film in people with Intrusive Thought and Psychological Trauma, run by Psychiatric University Hospital, Zurich at 1 site in Switzerland.

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 8 inclusion and 11 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 4 Oct 2022. 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 Switzerland. 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.

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?

Frequency of intrusive memories (time frame: Three weeks). The study lists 10 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 4 Oct 2022.

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