Nicotinic Cholinergic Modulation as a Novel Treatment Strategy for Aggression Associated With Autism

May 4, 2022 updated by: Yale University
Some individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) also demonstrate irritability or aggression, which can interfere with functioning. The purpose of this pilot study is to test whether transdermal nicotine is effective for irritability and/or aggression in adults with ASD using a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Subjects will participate in three visits. At the first visit, subjects are screened for eligibility and enrolled. Baseline measures include rating scales and a frustrative computerized task. They will then wear seven days of transdermal nicotine or placebo. Visit two is on day seven and the study measures are repeated, vital signs and side effects monitored. Subjects will return for a third and final visit on day 21 to repeat the study measures performed during visit two.

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.

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.
8

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 1

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, 06511
        • Yale University

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:

  • Age: 18-60
  • Gender: All
  • Language: Communicative in English
  • Participants with a prior diagnosis of DSM-5 ASD at some point in their lifetime OR a DSM-4 diagnosis of Autism OR a DSM-4 diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome OR a DSM-4 diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
  • Symptoms of irritability, agitation or aggression as reported by parent and/or participant
  • Aberrant behavior checklist - Irritability Subscale (ABC-I) score of 16 or higher
  • No changes in psychotropic medications within the past 14 days.
  • Either lives with a primary caregiver or closely engaged with a primary caregiver who interacts with the patient daily
  • BMI > 17.5 and < 45

Exclusion criteria:

  • Age < 18 or > 60
  • BMI < 17.5 or > 45
  • Currently using tobacco or any nicotine products (transdermal, gum, e-cigarettes)
  • Changes in psychotropic medication management within the past 14 days
  • Previous allergy to transdermal patches
  • Patients with heart rate > 100 or < 50 or known history of cardiac rhythm abnormalities
  • Systolic blood pressure > 150 or < 95; diastolic blood pressure > 90 or < 50
  • No symptoms of irritability, agitation, or aggression as reported by parent and/or participant
  • ABC-I score of less than 16
  • No primary caregiver, or primary caregiver unable to assist with rating scales

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: Crossover 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: Transdermal nicotine first, placebo last
Subject will receive transdermal nicotine 7 mg daily for 7 days, placebo patch for 7 days, then placebo patch for a final 7 days.
Drug: Transdermal nicotine
Other: Transdermal placebo
Experimental: Transdermal placebo first, nicotine last
Subject will receive transdermal placebo daily for 7 days, placebo patch for another 7 days, then transdermal nicotine 7 mg daily for a final 7 days.
Drug: Transdermal nicotine
Other: Transdermal 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
Change From Baseline in Aberrant Behavior Checklist Irritability Subscale (ABC-I)
Time Frame: Baseline and 7 days.
Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) measures symptom subscales for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. The ABC-irritability subscale measures irritability and related symptoms and the subscale score range is 0 (least symptomatic) to 45 (most symptomatic). The ABC is completed by parents/caregivers.
Baseline and 7 days.

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
Change in Social Responsiveness Scale-Adults (SRS-A)
Time Frame: Baseline and 7 days.
The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) - 2 quantifies impairments in social behaviors seen in autism spectrum disorder and related conditions and their severity. The version used in this study is completed by parents/caregivers. The raw score range is 0 (unaffected) to > 134 (extremely affected). The ABC is completed by parents/caregivers.
Baseline and 7 days.
Change in Qualitative Description of Irritability and Aggression Symptoms
Time Frame: Baseline and 7 days
Brief qualitative reports of the patient's subjective experience will be recorded by asking "In what ways did you find the patch helpful or harmful during the past week, if at all?".
Baseline and 7 days
Change in Frustration and Irritability Ratings During Frustration-induction Go-NoGo Task
Time Frame: Baseline and one week
Subjects will perform a computerized frustration-induction task and complete a rating scale of irritability and frustration levels.
Baseline and one week
Change in State/Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Score
Time Frame: Baseline and day 7
The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a measure of trait and state anxiety. It ranges from a score of 20 (least affected) to 80 (most affected).
Baseline and day 7
Nightly Sleep Quality
Time Frame: Day 7
Caregivers rated nightly sleep quality from 0 (worst) to 10 (best). Average rating for each treatment week is compared.
Day 7

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

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.
Autism Speaks

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: Alan S Lewis, MD, PhD, Lecturer in psychiatry

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, 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.
November 17, 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.
November 17, 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).
September 14, 2015

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.
September 15, 2015

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.
September 16, 2015

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.
May 6, 2022

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.
May 4, 2022

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.
May 1, 2022

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.
  • 1502015384

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.

Clinical Trials on Aggression

Clinical Trials on Transdermal nicotine

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings