Effects of Weekly Dosing of D-cycloserine on Cognitive Function in Individuals With Schizophrenia

July 14, 2014 updated by: Donald C. Goff, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital

Effects of Weekly Dosing of D-cycloserine on Cognitive Function in Individuals

The study aims to assess the effects of single dose and repeated weekly dosing of 50mg d-cycloserine versus placebo on cognitive and memory functioning in schizophrenia patients. The study will also examine the effects of 50mg d-cycloserine on positive symptoms and negative symptoms, as well as assess tolerability and side-effects.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is a ten-week, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial examining the cognitive effects at weeks 1, 2, 3. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 10 of once-weekly oral D-cycloserine 50 mg added to a stable dose of antipsychotic for 8 weeks in 60 adult outpatients with schizophrenia.

Specific aims:

  1. Assess the effects of a single dose of D-cycloserine 50 mg on cognitive functioning compared to placebo.
  2. Assess the effects of repeated weekly dosing of D-cycloserine on cognitive functioning at week 8 compared to placebo.
  3. Assess the effects of repeated weekly dosing of D-cycloserine on memory functioning once a week 1 hour after medication administration compared to placebo.
  4. Assess the persistence of learned information in a no-treatment follow-up assessment at Week 10 in the D-cycloserine group compared to the placebo group.
  5. Assess effects of weekly D-cycloserine dosing on positive & negative symptoms at week 8 compared to placebo.
  6. Assess tolerability and side effects of weekly D-cycloserine compared to placebo.
  7. Assess the effects of d-cycloserine dosed weekly for seven weeks on reward responsiveness as measured with the response bias task compared with placebo.
  8. Assess the effects of d-cycloserine dosed weekly for seven weeks on measures of functioning.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
38

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 4

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Massachusetts General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Male or female
  2. Age 18-65 years
  3. Diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, depressed type
  4. Stable dose of antipsychotic for at least 4 weeks.
  5. Able to provide informed consent
  6. Able to complete a cognitive battery

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Current treatment with clozapine
  2. Dementia
  3. Seizure disorder
  4. Unstable medical illness
  5. Active substance abuse
  6. Pregnancy, nursing, or unwilling to use appropriate birth control measures during participation if female and fertile.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: D-cycloserine
50 mg d-cycloserine
Drug: d-cycloserine
50mg dose d-cycloserine v placebo
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
50 mg placebo
Drug: d-cycloserine
50mg dose d-cycloserine v placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Main Outcome Measure: The Change From Baseline to Week 8 on the SANS
Time Frame: Baseline score vs. Week 8
The change from baseline to week 8 on the scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS) total score. Total SANS scores range from 0-100. The SANS is comprised of 5 subscores: Affective Flattening or Blunting (score range 0-35), Alogia (score range 0-20), Avolition-Apathy (score range 0-15), Anhedonia-Asociality (score range 0-20), and Attention (0-10). For each scale, the higher the score the more prominent the negative symptoms were. The total score was computed by adding all the subscale total scores. To compute change in scores, week 8 scores were subtracted from baseline scores, resulting in a change score. Higher values equals greater improvement (i.e. week 8 score was lower than baseline score).
Baseline score vs. Week 8

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Treatment Effects on the Positive Syndrome Subscale of the PANSS
Time Frame: Baseline score vs. Week 8 score
The change from baseline to week 8 on the positive symptom sub-scale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Total PANSS positive symptom sub-scale scores range from 7-49. The PANSS positive symptom sub-scale is comprised of 7 items rated on a scale of 1-7: delusions, conceptual disorganization, hallucinatory behavior, excitement, grandiosity, suspiciousness/persecution, and hostility. A score of one on each item 1 absent, 2 is minimal, 3 is mild, 4 is moderate, 5 is moderately severe, 6 is severe, and 7 is extreme. The total score was computed by adding all the items on the sub-scale together. To compute change in scores, week 8 scores were subtracted from baseline scores, resulting in a change score. Higher values equals greater improvement (i.e. week 8 score was lower than baseline score).
Baseline score vs. Week 8 score

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Massachusetts General Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Donald C Goff, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2004

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 1, 2007

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 2, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 3, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 4, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 7, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 14, 2014

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2005-P-001040

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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