N-Acetylcysteine in Adjunct to DBT for the Treatment of Self-Injurious Behavior in BPD

April 1, 2020 updated by: Yale University

A Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled Pilot Study of NAC Addition to Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for the Treatment of Self-Injurious Behavior Associated With Borderline Personality Disorder

Self-Injurious Behavior (SIB) is a dangerous and common symptom in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) patients. Approximately 70% of patients with BPD engage in SIB at some point, compared to 17.5% of patients with other personality disorders. While SIB may prompt unnecessary psychiatric hospitalizations, it may also cause potential underestimation of the lethality of suicidal behavior, thus creating a major and confusing challenge in the practice of clinical psychiatry.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a collection of therapeutic techniques focused on emotional regulation, impulse control, and improving safety in patients with BPD and others with marked self-destructive behavioral tendencies. Though DBT has marked ability to reduce BPD symptomatology, including SIB, improvement in SIB is limited and dependent on extensive therapy and time.

Furthermore, the literature on the pharmacological treatment of SIB associated with BPD is scarce. Animal studies suggest that SIB may be associated with an imbalance between dopamine and glutamate in the brain. Anti-seizure medications that modulate glutamate transmission, such as lamotrigine and topiramate, have been suggested to be effective in the treatment of SIB in humans.

Preliminary evidence suggests that antiglutamatergic medications may decrease SIB in patients with BPD. Early studies have focused on the antiglutamatergic drug riluzole. More recently, we have become interested in the amino acid N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which is used clinically for its antioxidant properties and is widely available as a nutritional supplement. Recent animal studies have suggested that NAC can modulate glutamate in the central nervous system in a way very similar to that proposed for riluzole, and indeed we have observed NAC to have an effect similar to riluzole in a case of treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This study will be a double-blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled evaluation of N-Acetylcysteine as an adjunct to DBT in the treatment of SIB associated with BPD. Subjects participating in this study will be recruited exclusively from the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program of the Yale-New Haven Hospital, in order to maximize homogeneity of the psychotherapeutic care received during their participation.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

Investigators have withdrawn study due to poor subject compliance. After 3 consecutive participants were either unable to complete all 6 weeks of the study or dropped out of the DBT program, a decision was reached to discontinue recruitment and study was terminated.

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.
6

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 2

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
    • Connecticut
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06519
        • Yale OCD Research Clinic

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

14 years to 61 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Borderline Personality Disorder, as assessed by SCID-II
  • A score of 10 or greater on the Self Harm Inventory (SHI) at time of evaluation
  • Ability to give informed consent
  • agreement to engage in a reliable form of birth control (women only)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • primary diagnosis of a psychotic disorder
  • active substance abuse or dependence
  • unstable medical condition
  • History of intolerance/allergic reaction to N-Acetylcysteine
  • pregnancy, breastfeeding, or intent to become pregnant during study
  • Inability to understand English
  • Cognitive Impairment

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: N-Acetylcysteine
Patients randomized to this arm will receive N-Acetylcysteine augmentation, at a standard dose (3000 mg daily), in addition to the medication regimen they are on at enrollment
Drug: N-Acetylcysteine
3000 mg PO (1200 mg AM, 1800 mg PM), 6 weeks
Other Names:
  • NAC
Placebo Comparator: placebo
Patients randomized to this arm will receive placebo, formulated to be indistinguishable from N-Acetylcysteine, in addition to the medication regimen they are on at study enrollment.
Drug: placebo
placebo, 2 capsules PO AM, 3 capsules PO PM, 6 weeks

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
Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) Score at 6 Weeks
Time Frame: 6 weeks

The Self-Harm Inventory is assessed by asking an individual to answer (yes or no) if they have ever "intentionally, or on purpose" tried to harm themselves. The inventory contains 22 questions and a 23rd marked "other" that allows the individual to indicate a self-harm behavior not previously mentioned.

The scoring of this instrument is determined by counting the number of endorsed self-harm behaviors out of the possible twenty-three asked. The maximum score any individual may achieve for the SHI is a 23. Any individual scoring 5 or greater is classified as suffering from BPD.

In this study, scoring on the SHI was primarily used to assess improvement of self-harming symptoms and throughout the study by comparing participant ratings from baseline and week 6. Positive numbers indicate a decrease (i.e. participant indicated less self-harming behavior) and negative numbers indicate an increase in self-harming behaviors reported.
6 weeks
Self-Harm Inventory (SHI) Score at Baseline
Time Frame: Baseline

The Self-Harm Inventory is assessed by asking an individual to answer (yes or no) if they have ever "intentionally, or on purpose" tried to harm themselves. The inventory contains 22 questions and a 23rd marked "other" that allows the individual to indicate a self-harm behavior not previously mentioned.

The scoring of this instrument is determined by counting the number of endorsed self-harm behaviors out of the possible twenty-three asked. The maximum score any individual may achieve for the SHI is a 23. Any individual scoring 5 or greater is classified as suffering from BPD.

In this study, scoring on the SHI was primarily used to assess improvement of self-harming symptoms and throughout the study by comparing participant ratings from baseline and week 6. Positive numbers indicate a decrease (i.e. participant indicated less self-harming behavior) and negative numbers indicate an increase in self-harming behaviors reported.
Baseline

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
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) at 6 Weeks
Time Frame: 6 weeks

The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression is a multiple item questionnaire used to provide an indication of depression, and as a guide to evaluate recovery. Administered by a clinician, The questionnaire is designed for adults and is used to rate the severity of the patients depression by asking their mood, feelings of guilt, insomnia, agitation, weight change, suicidal ideation, and somatic symptoms. The scale also allows the clinician to assess the patient's level of retardation, and insight into their depression. Highest possible score is 52.

HAM-D Scoring 0-7 = Normal 8-13 = Mild Depression 14-18 = Moderate Depression 19-22 = Severed Depression

≥23 = Very Severe Depression

In this study, Baseline ratings were compared to those of week 6 to assess each participants change in depression throughout the study. A negative value indicates an increase in depression (i.e. the individual felt more depressed) and a positive value indicates a decrease in depression.
6 weeks
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) at Baseline
Time Frame: Baseline

The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression is a multiple item questionnaire used to provide an indication of depression, and as a guide to evaluate recovery. Administered by a clinician, The questionnaire is designed for adults and is used to rate the severity of the patients depression by asking their mood, feelings of guilt, insomnia, agitation, weight change, suicidal ideation, and somatic symptoms. The scale also allows the clinician to assess the patient's level of retardation, and insight into their depression. Highest possible score is 52.

HAM-D Scoring 0-7 = Normal 8-13 = Mild Depression 14-18 = Moderate Depression 19-22 = Severed Depression

≥23 = Very Severe Depression

In this study, Baseline ratings were compared to those of week 6 to assess each participants change in depression throughout the study. A negative value indicates an increase in depression (i.e. the individual felt more depressed) and a positive value indicates a decrease in depression.
Baseline

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.
Yale University

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: Christopher J Pittenger, MD,PhD, Yale University

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.
September 1, 2007

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.
November 1, 2010

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.
November 1, 2010

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).
October 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.
October 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.
October 4, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
April 15, 2020

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.
April 1, 2020

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.
April 1, 2020

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.
  • 0610001908

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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