Preliminary Study of Fish Oil and Dementia

February 24, 2008 updated by: Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taiwan

The Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Monotherapy in Alzheimer's Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: a Preliminary Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study

This preliminary study is aimed to investigate whether it is feasible to conduct a study to use fish oil compared to the placebo(olive oil) in people with cognitive impairment. We will also explore whether fish oil has better efficacy in some clinical aspects in people with cognitive impairment during 24 weeks intervention. The major clinical outcome will be:

  1. general clinical impression
  2. cognitive function

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

Despite some positive findings from observational and animal studies, the effects of n-3 PUFA administration on cognitive impairment in humans have received little evaluation to date. Although some clinical trials of fish oil have been reported, the results are inconsistent. Given these inconsistent findings, we carried out a preliminary study to investigate the effect of fish oil monotherapy on cognitive function and general clinical condition in patients with cognitive impairment.

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.
46

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.
  • Not Applicable

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

  • Taiwan
      • Taipei, Taiwan, 110
        • Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taipei City 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

55 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • fulfilled the diagnosis of AD according to the American Psychiatric Association, DSM-IV criteria, with mild or moderate severity( defined by an Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) score between 10 and 26, and a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score of 1 or 2.)
  • or amnesic MCI( defined as (1). Subjective memory impairment by the patient and /or an informant, (2) objective memory impairment falling at least 1.5 standard deviations or more below age- and education-specific norms on the Logical Memory delayed-recall score from the Wechsler Memory Scale III (3) relatively normal performance in other cognitive domains, (4) no impairment in activities of daily living, and (5) failure to meet DSM-IV criteria for dementia.)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • inadequate motor or sensory capacity to comply with testing
  • any ischemic lesion on brain CT reported by the radiologist or a modified Hachinski Ischemic Scale score >4
  • a 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HDRS)score > 13
  • abnormal levels of folic acid, vitamin B12, or thyroid function
  • severe comorbidity, including another neurodegenerative diseases, another chronic debilitating neurological illness (e.g. cerebral palsy), brain trauma, tumors, severe pulmonary, renal, liver disease, cardiac disease, or autoimmune disease, or conditions expected to cause death within one year.
  • Participants with a diagnosis of alcoholism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder were excluded.
  • Participants receiving cholinesterase agents during the screen or taking NSAID on a long-term basis

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: 1
omega-3 PUFAs(180mg eicosapentaenoic acid[EPA] + 120mg docosahexaenoic acid[DHA]/capsule), 3 capsules twice daily, total daily omega-3 fatty acid dosage of 1080 mg of EPA and 720 mg of DHA
Dietary supplement: omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ( EPA+DHA)
Group 1 received omega-3 PUFAs as 3 capsules twice daily (total daily omega-3 fatty acid dosage of 1080 mg of EPA and 720 mg of DHA). Group 2 received three identical placebo capsules twice daily which contained olive oil esters. Identical gelatin capsules were used. Both treatment and placebo capsules were vacuum deodorized and supplemented with tertiary-butyl hydroquinone, 0.2 mg/g, and tocopherols, 2 mg/g, as antioxidants. The source of the omega-3 fatty acids was menhaden fish body oil concentrate.
Other Names:
  • fish oil
  • n3 fatty acids
Placebo Comparator: 2
three identical placebo capsules twice daily which contained olive oil esters.
Dietary supplement: omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids ( EPA+DHA)
Group 1 received omega-3 PUFAs as 3 capsules twice daily (total daily omega-3 fatty acid dosage of 1080 mg of EPA and 720 mg of DHA). Group 2 received three identical placebo capsules twice daily which contained olive oil esters. Identical gelatin capsules were used. Both treatment and placebo capsules were vacuum deodorized and supplemented with tertiary-butyl hydroquinone, 0.2 mg/g, and tocopherols, 2 mg/g, as antioxidants. The source of the omega-3 fatty acids was menhaden fish body oil concentrate.
Other Names:
  • fish oil
  • n3 fatty acids

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
Time Frame
the Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change Scale (CIBIC-plus)
Time Frame: 24 weeks
24 weeks
the cognitive portion of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog)
Time Frame: 24 weeks
24 weeks

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
Time Frame
Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) scores
Time Frame: 24 weeks
24 weeks
17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HDRS)
Time Frame: 24 weeks
24 weeks
adverse events
Time Frame: 24 weeks
24 weeks

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.
Taipei City Psychiatric Center, Taiwan

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Department of Health, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (Taiwan)

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: Chih-Chiang Chiu, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Psychiatric Center, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
  • Principal Investigator: Shih-Yi Huang, PhD., School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan

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.
January 1, 2003

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.
March 1, 2005

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.
March 1, 2005

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).
February 24, 2008

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.
February 24, 2008

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.
March 4, 2008

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.
March 4, 2008

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.
February 24, 2008

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.
February 1, 2008

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.
  • DOH-92-TD-1095

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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