Effects of Citicoline on Brain Function and Behavior in Marijuana-Dependent Individuals

October 15, 2014 updated by: Scott Lukas, Mclean Hospital

Cannabis Dependence: Imaging and Medication Development - 1

The Three Aims of this study are (only studies for Aim 1 were completed)

  1. Measure the impact of citicoline on marihuana use patterns in subjects' individualized natural settings and responses to marihuana challenge using functional brain MRI scans.

    Hypothesis - 2 g/day citicoline will produce greater reductions in marihuana use and craving in heavy marihuana users than placebo citicoline over a 8-week treatment period as measured in their natural environments. The same participants will experience greater improved brain activation patterns and an improvement in cognitive functioning compared to placebo controlled subjects.

  2. Measure the effects of citicoline on marihuana absorption and metabolism and determine if these changes parallel changes in subjective and physiological responses in a laboratory setting.

    Hypothesis - Chronic (8 weeks) treatment with 2 g/day citicoline will produce increases in subjective and physiological effects of both acute marihuana smoking and placebo marihuana smoking compared to chronic placebo citicoline. Citicoline will have no effect on marihuana pharmacokinetics.

  3. Measure the effects of citicoline on marijuana-induced cue-induced craving and brain electrical activity (EEG).

Hypothesis - Chronic (8 weeks) treatment with 2 g/day citicoline will reduce objective measures of marijuana cue-reactivity, and subjective reports of craving in response to marihuana cues will also be attenuated compared to chronic placebo citicoline treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Marijuana dependence is an important public health problem in the United States, yet still no effective therapies are available. It is unclear how marijuana affects brain function after acute or chronic use. Knowing about the changes in brain function during marijuana dependence would aid in the understanding of the neurobiological basis of marijuana abuse and serve as a foundation for the development of new treatment medications for this disorder. New and improved brain imaging techniques, such as functional MRI (fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), allow the viewing of these subtle, yet important, changes in brain function.

Citicoline is used to treat victims of head trauma and neurodegenerative disorders. It has been found to be effective in reducing cocaine use and craving, and it has no known side effects. It has also been shown to reduce marijuana use. This is likely due to citicoline's ability to reduce insomnia and craving, act as a mild antidepressant, and improve cognitive function. How citicoline reduces drug use may be related to effects on cerebral blood flow and/or brain phospholipid metabolism in the reward areas of the brain.

This study will determine whether citicoline alters marijuana use patterns, reduces craving, and affects brain phospholipids and metabolism in marijuana-dependent people. The outcome of the study could offer important insights into the pathophysiology and course of marijuana dependence. Furthermore, this study's outcome could potentially relate to other drug dependence disorders.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

21

Phase

  • 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

    • Massachusetts
      • Belmont, Massachusetts, United States, 02478 9106
        • McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 45 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Meets DSM-IV criteria for current marijuana dependence
  • Women with a negative pregnancy test prior to study entry
  • Heavy smoker, defined as smoking more than 10 joints per week

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • Medical disorder that requires prescription medication
  • Psychiatric disorder that requires prescription medication
  • Abnormal liver function tests
  • Taking herbal preparations
  • Taking any over-the-counter medications on a chronic basis
  • Pregnancy or breast feeding
  • Neurological, infectious, or neoplastic disease
  • Currently seeking treatment for marijuana abuse
  • Meets criteria for alcohol, cocaine, or opioid dependence

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: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: placebo
matched capsules
matched for physical appearance
Experimental: citicoline
2 gm/day
2 gm/day, 8 weeks treatment

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Marijuana Use
Time Frame: Measured for 8 weeks of treatment
Measured for 8 weeks of treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Neurocognitive Function
Time Frame: Before and after 8 weeks of treatment
Multiple Source Interference Test (MSIT)
Before and after 8 weeks of treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

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

September 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 8, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 8, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

September 12, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

October 22, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 15, 2014

Last Verified

October 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NIDA-19238-1
  • DPMC (Other Identifier: NIDA)
  • R01DA019238 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • R01DA024007 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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 Marijuana Abuse

Clinical Trials on placebo

3
Subscribe