Hormone and Information Processing Study (HIP)

July 10, 2014 updated by: Monique Cherrier, University of Washington

Testosterone Supplementation in Men With MCI

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of testosterone (T) replacement on changes in thinking and memory, as well as mood in older men with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and low T levels. The study will also examine whether taking testosterone has effects on biological markers related to Alzheimer's disease.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Natural age related declines in testosterone (T) are associated with decreases in cognitive abilities independent of health status. Low T levels over time are associated with increased risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). These findings suggest that men with low T levels are most at risk for age-related cognitive decline and AD and therefore most likely to benefit from T supplementation to prevent the development of AD or age-associated cognitive decline. The current study will assess cognition, mood, and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) biomarker response to T supplementation in older men with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and low T levels.

Participants will be randomized to either receive T treatment or a placebo for six months. Participants will come in for about five visits within the span of six months where they will complete cognitive & memory tests, fill out mood questionnaires, and have their blood drawn to monitor the medication level. A sample of blood will also be taken at one visit to test for apolipoprotein E (APOE), which is a genetic risk factor associated with AD. Participants will have the option to get a spinal tap in order to measure biological markers associated with Alzheimer's disease including beta-amyloid 1-40, 42, total-tau, and phosphorylated-tau-181-231. This will require an additional two visits.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

22

Phase

  • Phase 3

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

    • Washington
      • Seattle, Washington, United States, 98108
        • VA Puget Sound Health Care Systems

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

60 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male 60-90 years of age
  • Diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
  • Low testosterone level
  • Primary language is English
  • Availability of an informant who knows the participant well enough to answer questions
  • Stable medications for the previous 3 months
  • Normal complete blood count (CBC), and no clinically significant blood chemistry
  • American Urological Association (AUA) symptom score less than or equal to 19
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) less than 33 and stable weight in the previous year

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior history of prostate cancer or prostate specific antigen level greater than 4.0ng/ml
  • Peripheral or vascular disease
  • Significant history of alcohol abuse, current alcohol abuse (more than 2 drinks per day), or other substance abuse
  • History of severe head injury (with loss of consciousness greater than 30 minutes)
  • Significant neurological illness, such as Parkinson's disease, seizure disorder, multiple sclerosis, major stoke
  • Smokes cigarettes
  • Major psychiatric illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder

Prohibited Medications:

  • Anti-convulsants
  • Anti-psychotics
  • Sedating antihistamines
  • Sedative/hypnotics
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Hormone or testosterone regimens
  • Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GNRH) antagonists
  • Flutamide
  • Anti-depressants and/or anti-cholinesterase inhibitors, but acceptable if on stable dose for 3 months or more

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
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: 2
applied topically daily for six months
Experimental: Study drug; testosterone transdermal gel
Dose will be adjusted as needed to maintain a target total T level of 500-900 ng/dl
50-100mg applied topically daily for six months
Other Names:
  • Solvay Testosterone Gel

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Behavioral & Mood Measure: Profile of Mood States (POMS)
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 and 6 months
Values represent self evaluation of vigor-activity. The scale compares t-scores of participants to published norms (range 0-100), and higher scores indicate elevated emotion in subscale. Higher t-scores in vigor-activity subscale are considered favorable. Month 3 and Month 6 values display change from baseline.
Baseline, 3 and 6 months
Cognitive Changes Measured by Neuropsychological Tests: Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 and 6 months
Values represent total score in Long Delay Word List Recall. Higher score indicates higher level of functioning (range 0-15). Month 3 and Month 6 indicate change from baseline.
Baseline, 3 and 6 months
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 3, Month 6
Values represent self evaluation of depression (range 0-30). Higher scores indicate a more depressed mood. Month 3 and Month 6 indicate change from baseline.
Baseline, Month 3, Month 6
Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36)
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 3, Month 6
Self assessment of Physical Functioning in Health Survey. Higher scores indicate a higher level of functioning (range 0-100). Month 3 and 6 values represent change from baseline in subscale.
Baseline, Month 3, Month 6

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Monique Cherrier, PhD, University of Washington

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

July 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 3, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 3, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

October 4, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

July 14, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 10, 2014

Last Verified

July 1, 2014

More Information

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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