Topiramate's Effects on Heavy Drinking (TOPMRI)

August 20, 2018 updated by: University of Pennsylvania

Brain Mechanisms of Topiramate's Effects on Heavy Drinking

The proposed project will utilize perfusion functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the effects of topiramate on brain and behavioral responses in heavy drinkers to appetitive alcohol reminders (cues that motivate continued alcohol use and relapse). This project will yield novel findings on brain and behavioral responses to alcohol cues, the effects of topiramate on alcohol cue reactivity, and the mechanisms underlying topiramate's ability to blunt alcohol cue reactivity and heavy drinking.

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

This project is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of topiramate's effects on brain and behavior responses in heavy drinkers. Eligible volunteers who meet study criteria will be randomized to receive either topiramate or placebo with weekly visits and medication management sessions. Participants will complete two magnetic resonance imaging sessions. The first scan session will occur prior to starting study drug, and the second scan will occur following six weeks of study drug. This project will yield novel findings on brain and behavioral responses to alcohol cues, the effects of topiramate on alcohol cue reactivity, and the mechanisms underlying topiramate's ability to blunt alcohol cue reactivity and heavy drinking.

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.
1

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
    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • University of Pennsylvania Center for Studies of Addiction

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 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Physically healthy, as determined by a comprehensive physical examination and approval of the study physician, males or females who drink alcohol, ages 18-60.
  • Average weekly ethanol consumption of >24 standard drinks for men, or >18 standard drinks for women.
  • Females must be non-pregnant, non-lactating and either be of non-childbearing potential (i.e. sterilized via hysterectomy or bilateral tubal ligation or at least 2 years postmenopausal) or of child bearing potential but practicing a medically acceptable method of birth control. Examples of medically acceptable methods for this protocol include: the birth control pill, intrauterine device, injection of Depo-Provera, Norplant, contraceptive patch, contraceptive ring, double-barrier methods (such as condoms and diaphragm/spermicide), male partner sterilization, abstinence (and agreement to continue abstinence or to use an acceptable method of contraception, as listed above, should sexual activity commence), and tubal ligation.
  • Provide voluntary informed consent.
  • Must be able to read. [Subjects are required to be able to read because there are several self-administered measures that they must read, understand and provide written answers.]
  • Intelligence quotient of ≥ 80.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current, clinically significant physical disease or abnormality on the basis of medical history, physical examination, or routine laboratory evaluation.
  • History of head trauma or injury causing loss of consciousness, lasting more than five (5) minutes or associated with skull fracture or inter-cranial bleeding or abnormal MRI.
  • Current major DSM-IV Axis I diagnoses other than alcohol use disorder (except nicotine use disorder).
  • Presence of magnetically active irremovable prosthetics, plates, pins, permanent retainer, bullets, etc. (unless a radiologist confirms that it's presence is unproblematic). An x-ray may be obtained to determine eligibility given the possibility of a foreign body.
  • History of a serious psychiatric illness including psychosis, bipolar disorder, or suicidal or homicidal intent.
  • Current treatment with carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.
  • Claustrophobia or other medical condition preventing subject from lying in the MRI for approximately one (1) hour.
  • Current regular treatment with psychotropic medications (e.g., benzodiazepines, antidepressants), which affect neurotransmitter systems or a medication being used to treat alcohol use disorders (e.g., naltrexone, acamprosate).
  • Vision problems that cannot be corrected with glasses.
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 34, body girth greater than 52 inches and a head girth greater than 25 inches.
  • History of stroke and/or stroke related spasticity.
  • History of glaucoma or kidney stones.
  • HIV positive.
  • History of seizures.
  • History of topiramate treatment for alcohol use disorder and report no treatment response.
  • Current DSM-5 diagnosis of alcohol use disorder that is clinically too severe to permit them to participate in a research trial in which the goal is to stop or reduce drinking.

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: Double

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.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
placebo
Drug: Placebo
Experimental: Topiramate
up to 200mg/day orally (over 8 weeks during which the dosage is gradually increased up to 200 mg orally and then maintained, and 1 week of medication taper)
Drug: Topiramate
Other Names:
  • Topamax

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
fMRI Response in the Ventral Striatum/Medial Orbitofrontal Cortex During Alcohol Cue Exposure
Time Frame: baseline to after 6 weeks of study drug
At baseline (prior to randomization), brain and behavioral responses will be significantly greater during alcohol cue exposure compared to non-alcohol cue exposure. Following 6 weeks of study drug, individuals receiving topiramate will demonstrate greater reductions in brain activity and drinking behavior compared to individuals receiving placebo. Individuals receiving placebo will exhibit responses similar to baseline responses.
baseline to after 6 weeks of study drug

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
Drinking Days
Time Frame: baseline and 9 weeks
change in drinking days from baseline to 9 weeks
baseline and 9 weeks
Change in Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) or Carbohydrate-deficient Transferrin (CDT) Levels
Time Frame: baseline and Visit 9 (9 weeks)
Change in gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) or carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) levels after 9 weeks of treatment.
baseline and Visit 9 (9 weeks)
Heavy Drinking Days
Time Frame: baseline to 9 weeks
change in number of heavy drinking days from baseline to 9 weeks
baseline to 9 weeks
Mean Alcohol Consumption
Time Frame: baseline to 9 weeks
change in mean alcohol consumption from baseline to 9 weeks
baseline to 9 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.
University of Pennsylvania

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: Reagan R Wetherill, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

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.
May 1, 2015

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, 2017

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, 2017

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 20, 2014

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 26, 2014

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.
February 28, 2014

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.
September 21, 2018

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.
August 20, 2018

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.
December 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • TOP MRI

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