Memory Enhancement by Gamma-hydroxybutyrate vs. Trazodone in Major Depressive Disorder.

May 11, 2022 updated by: Erich Seifritz
30 healthy adults and 30 patients with major depressive disorder, will take part in three single-application pharmacological interventions (GHB vs. Trazodone vs. placebo p.o.) to test potential effects of these drugs on nocturnal memory consolidation. All participants will be assessed with mood state questionnaires, tests of emotional, procedural and declarative memory consolidation, polysomnography, EEG and neuroinflammatory biomarkers. At experimental nights, learning tasks are performed prior to sleep. The next morning, recalling tasks are performed. Each subject will pass through 5 study nights (1 screening, 1 adaptation and 3 experimental nights).

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.
54

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

  • Switzerland
    • ZH
      • Zürich, ZH, Switzerland, 8032
        • Psychiatric University 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

20 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Arm 1 (healthy controls):

  • Healthy participants,
  • Non-smoker,
  • Age 20-65 years

Arm 2 (patients with depression):

  • Diagnosis of major depression (DSM-V),
  • Selective Serotonin-Reuptake-Inhibitor (SSRI) or Selective Serotonin-Noradrenalin-Reuptake-Inhibitor (SSNRI) medication,
  • Age 20-65 years

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: Triple

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: healthy controls
Drug: GHB
50 mg/kg GHB at one experimental night
Drug: Trazodone
1.5 mg/kg trazodone at one experimental night
Drug: Placebos
placebo oral solution (placebo for GHB) and placebo pills (placebo for trazodon)
Experimental: Major Depressive Disorder
Drug: GHB
50 mg/kg GHB at one experimental night
Drug: Trazodone
1.5 mg/kg trazodone at one experimental night
Drug: Placebos
placebo oral solution (placebo for GHB) and placebo pills (placebo for trazodon)

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
slow wave sleep amount
Time Frame: 1 night
slow wave sleep time (minutes) during the experimental night
1 night
performance in emotional memory consolidation tasks by Emotional Picture Memory Task (EPMT)
Time Frame: 10 hours after encoding
results in EPMT are measured as number of recognized pictures (1-150)
10 hours after encoding
performance in procedural memory consolidation tasks by Finger Sequence-Tapping Task (FSTT)
Time Frame: 10 hours after encoding
results in FSTT are measured as number of correct sequences typed in 30seconds
10 hours after encoding
performance in declarative memory consolidation tasks by Paired Word List Task (PAWL)
Time Frame: 10 hours after encoding
Results in PAWL are expressed as number of correct word pairs recalled (1-40).
10 hours after encoding
Blood levels of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).
Time Frame: 9 hours after solid drug administration
Assessed in serum samples collected by venipuncture using a butterfly needle. Unit of measure as blood concentration (ng/l or mg/ml)
9 hours after solid drug administration
homeostatic sleep pressure by Psychomotor Vigilance Task
Time Frame: 10 hours after solid drug administration
Results are measured in number of correct answers
10 hours after solid drug administration
homeostatic sleep pressure by N-back Task
Time Frame: 10 hours after solid drug administration
Results are measured in number of correct answers
10 hours after solid drug administration

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
Sleep quality assessed by Morgen Questionionnaire (MQ)
Time Frame: at 8:00 a.m. after experimental night 1,2 and 3
structured interview about sleep quality on the previous night. Subjektive sleep time will be assessed in minutes (0-480 minutes). Long sleep time will be a good outcome. Interview time of 5minutes.
at 8:00 a.m. after experimental night 1,2 and 3
Sleep quality assessed by Karolinska Schläfrigkeitsskala (SKK)
Time Frame: at 8:00 a.m. after experimental night 1,2 and 3
Subjects will report their subjective sleep pressure in a 1-10 points scale. Low values mean low sleep pressure and better therapy response.
at 8:00 a.m. after experimental night 1,2 and 3
Cortisol Saliva Response (CAR)
Time Frame: 0minutes, 15minutes, 30minutes, 45minutes and 60minutes after awekening
Cortisol concetration in Saliva (nmol/l)
0minutes, 15minutes, 30minutes, 45minutes and 60minutes after awekening
Score on Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)
Time Frame: 8 hours after solid drug administration
self-report questionnaire that consists of two 10-item scales to measure both positive and negative affect. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much)
8 hours after solid drug administration

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.
Erich Seifritz

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.
August 6, 2020

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.
April 6, 2022

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.
April 6, 2022

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).
August 28, 2019

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 6, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

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 9, 2019

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 12, 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 11, 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

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.
  • Mem-GHB-TRA-Study

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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