Guanfacine Adjunctive Treatment to Atypical Antipsychotics for Cognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia (Guanfacine)

May 20, 2008 updated by: Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.

A Double Blind Placebo Controlled Study of Guanfacine Adjunctive Treatment to Atypical Antipsychotics for Cognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia

Our overall aim is to determine if the administration of guanfacine in combination with aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, and/or risperidone is significantly more effective than any of those medications alone in treating some of the cognitive impairment in schizophrenia.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The proposed study is a double blind, placebo controlled, parallel designed investigation comparing the effect of one of four atypical antipsychotics (aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, and/or risperidone), treatment alone to treatment with one of these in addition to treatment with guanfacine to maximum dose of 3.0 mg per day on a cognitive task performance in schizophrenic patients. The study will take place over fourteen weeks. Patients will receive study medication for the last ten weeks of the protocol.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

50

Phase

  • Phase 4

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
    • New York
      • Bronx, New York, United States, 10468
        • Bronx VA Medical Center
      • NY, New York, United States, 10029
        • Mount Sinai Medical Center
      • W. Brentwood, New York, United States, 11717
        • Pilgrim Psychiatric Center

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

14 years to 61 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Subjects will be males and females between the ages of 18 and 55.
  2. In good general medical health.
  3. Have a DSMIV diagnosis of schizophrenia, any subtype, or schizoaffective disorder.
  4. Patients who have been diagnosed with other DSMIV Axis I disorders may be included, unless they are actively using illicit substances.
  5. Receiving treatment with aripiprazole, olanzapine, quetiapine, and/or risperidone as their antipsychotic medication
  6. Subjects will demonstrate significant memory impairment by performing at least two standard deviations below normal performance on the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT). Using subjects with a clear impairment in acquisition and recall will avoid a ceiling effect in this measure.
  7. Subjects will also be required to have at least an 8th grade reading level and/or a full-scale IQ of at least 85 as assessed by the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT).
  8. Patients are allowed to be on the following anti-depressant medications: Fluoxetine (PROZAC), Sertraline (ZOLOFT), Paroxetine (PAXIL), Celexa (CITALOPRAM), Busprion (WELLBUTRIN), Venlafaxine (EFFEXOR), and Buspirone (BUSPAR).

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Have a recent history (within previous year) of serious suicide, homicide, or serious physical violence, or current suicidal or homicidal thoughts
  2. Active use of illicit substances.
  3. Meet DSM-IV criteria for a current episode of major depression or mania.
  4. Have a history of severe head trauma, neurological disorder or medical illness which may contribute to the patient's psychiatric symptoms and cognitive impairment.
  5. Have a medical illness which requires that they take any medication that has CNS activity or which is known to interact with guanfacine (e.g barbiturates, apha-1 antagonists, beta blockers).
  6. Receive treatment with other concomitant neuroleptics in addition to risperidone or olanzapine.
  7. Receive concomitant anticholinergic drugs, or. If the patient receives benzodiazepines, they must be short or intermediate acting (e.g. alprazolam, lorazepam) and they must be held 48 hours prior to cognitive testing. Treatment with mood stabilizers such as lithium and depakote will be allowed for this study. If the patients is receiving treatment with lithium the level must be < 1 meq/l.
  8. Are unable to give informed consent.
  9. Have a history of developmental disorder or less than an eighth grade reading level.
  10. Have a history of bowel obstruction or untreated benign prostatic hypertrophy. Are taking antihypertensive medications of the class of beta-blockers, alpha-1 antagonists, calcium channel blockers, or alpha-2 agonists.

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

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Spatial Working Memory Test Trail Making Test: Part A and B.
Time Frame: Baseline, week 6, week 10
Baseline, week 6, week 10

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
RAVLT,Digit Span Distraction Test,CPT450,Verbal Fluency Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test,Stroop Interference Test,Letter-Number Sequencing, Extra Pyramidal Symptom Rating Scale(ESRS),Positive And Negative Symptom Scale
Time Frame: Baseline, week 6, week 10
Baseline, week 6, week 10

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc.

Collaborators

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Bronx VA Medical Center

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Joseph I Friedman, MD, Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Bronx VA Medical Center

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

February 1, 2000

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

August 1, 2008

Study Completion (Anticipated)

December 1, 2008

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 2, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 3, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

May 4, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

May 21, 2008

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 20, 2008

Last Verified

May 1, 2008

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 00110
  • 99-621

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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