Sulforaphane to Reduce Symptoms of Schizophrenia

July 7, 2021 updated by: Faith Dickerson, Sheppard Pratt Health System

A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of a Sulforaphane Nutraceutical to Reduce the Symptoms of Schizophrenia

The purpose of this study is to determine if taking a sulforaphane nutraceutical versus a placebo will reduce symptoms of schizophrenia when used in addition to standard antipsychotic medications.

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.
64

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
    • Maryland
      • Towson, Maryland, United States, 21204
        • Sheppart Pratt Health System

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:

  • Capacity for written informed consent
  • Age 18-65 years, inclusive
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder as determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders (SCID-5)
  • Currently an outpatient at time of screening
  • Residual psychotic symptoms of at least moderate severity as evidenced by a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score of 60 or higher AND one or more of the following: one or more PANSS positive symptom scores of 4 or higher; OR containing at least three positive or negative items with scores of 3 or higher at the screening visit
  • Receiving antipsychotic medication for at least 8 weeks prior to enrolling in the study with no antipsychotic medication changes within the previous 21 days from visit 2 (week 0)
  • Conformance to PORT Treatment Recommendation about Maintenance Antipsychotic Medication Dose
  • Proficient in the English language
  • Participated previously in one of our screening studies

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any clinically significant or unstable medical disorder as determined by the principal investigator and/or the study physician (e.g., HIV infection or other immunodeficiency condition (such as receiving chemotherapy), uncontrolled diabetes, congestive heart failure)
  • DSM-5 diagnosis of intellectual disability or comparable diagnoses determined by previous versions of the DSM
  • DSM-5 diagnosis of a moderate or severe substance use disorder, except for caffeine or tobacco, within the last three months prior to the screening visit. If the patient has a positive drug toxicity screen at the time of visit 1 (screening), further evaluation by the investigator will be done of the substance use to determine eligibility.
  • Any current use of a broccoli supplement (e.g., Avmacol® or other health food broccoli supplement)
  • Participated in any investigational drug trial in the past 30 days prior to the screening visit
  • Pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding during the study period

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: Sulforaphane Nutraceutical
The sulforaphane nutraceutical contains inactive glucoraphanin, a glucosinolate from broccoli seeds, and myrosinase from broccoli sprouts. The ingestion of this compound leads to the hydrolysis of glucoraphanin, the generation of sulforaphane within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and the subsequent systemic absorption of the sulforaphane. The dose per tablet is 16 mg of glucoraphanin or 37 µmol; 6 tablets per day should yield about 100 µmol of sulforaphane. The tablets, which will be swallowed, are provided as .375 punch size, round concave tablets. In this arm, the participant will take 6 tablets of the sulforaphane nutraceutical daily for 16 weeks after a 2-week placebo run-in.
Drug: Sulforaphane Nutraceutical
Sulforaphane Nutraceutical 6 tablets by mouth daily
Other Names:
  • Avmacol®
Placebo Comparator: Identical-appearing Placebo
The inert compound placebo looks identical to the sulforaphane nutraceutical. In this arm, the participant will take 6 tablets of the placebo daily for 16 weeks after a 2-week placebo run-in.
Drug: Identical-appearing Placebo
Identical-appearing Placebo 6 tablets by mouth daily

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 in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) Score From the Start to the End of the Double-blind Treatment Phase
Time Frame: 16 weeks (week 2 to week 18)
The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) measures psychiatric symptomatology, especially related to psychosis. The complete PANSS contains ratings for 30 symptoms, including 7 positive symptoms, 7 negative symptoms, and 16 general psychiatric symptoms. The severity of each symptom is rated on a scale ranging from 1 (minimal) to 7 (extreme); higher scores indicate increased symptomatology. Total PANSS scores include scores from all categories and range from 30 to 210 units on a scale.
16 weeks (week 2 to week 18)

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 MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) Overall Composite Scores From the Start to the End of the Study
Time Frame: 18 weeks (week 0 to week 18)
The MATRICS (Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia) Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) is a standardized battery of 10 tests that measure 7 domains of cognitive performance: speed of processing, attention/vigilance, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning, reasoning and problem solving, and social cognition. Overall composite t-scores are calculated using scores from all subtests. A t-score of 50 (10) is the mean (standard deviation) of the relevant reference population. Higher values indicate better performance.
18 weeks (week 0 to week 18)
Change in C-Reactive Protein From the Start to the End of the Study
Time Frame: 18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
Change in Pentraxin-3 From the Start to the End of the Study
Time Frame: 18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
Change in Anti-Saccharomyces Cerevisiae IgA Class Antibodies From the Start to the End of the Study
Time Frame: 18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
Change in Interleukin-6 From the Start to the End of the Study
Time Frame: 18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
Change in Tumor Necrosis Factor - Alpha From the Start to the End of the Study
Time Frame: 18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
Change in Interferon Gamma From the Start to the End of the Study
Time Frame: 18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)
18 weeks (assessed at weeks 0, 10, and 18; weeks 0 and 18 reported)

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.
Sheppard Pratt Health System

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: Faith Dickerson, PhD, MPH, Sheppard Pratt Health System

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 (Actual)

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.
February 22, 2017

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 11, 2019

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 11, 2019

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).
June 14, 2016

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.
June 20, 2016

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.
June 23, 2016

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.
July 27, 2021

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 7, 2021

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, 2021

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.
  • SMRI/SPHS: 2016-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Yes

IPD Plan Description

Demographic, symptom, and cognitive data will be shared with the National Database for Clinical Trials Related to Mental Illness (NDCT). Access may be obtained through an approved application with the NDCT.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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