Methylphenidate in Healthy Young Adults

December 30, 2008 updated by: Shaare Zedek Medical Center
Background: There is a paucity of data as to the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) on young adults who do not have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The existing data is equivocal and focuses on neuropsychological functions that are not always relevant to the clinical aspects of attention. Objective: To determine the effect of MPH on a diagnostic continuous performance task that assesses attention per se (TOVA) and on a decision making test (Modified Gamble Decision Test) in young, healthy adults. Methods: Fifty young adults, men and women ages 20-30, without ADHD, learning disabilities, history of past or present use of MPH or other psychotropic drugs, will be eligible to participate. Design: The experiment will be conducted in 2 sessions, the first lasting 3.5 hours and the second 2.5 hours in a randomized, double-blind prospective design. In the first session, the subjects will be screened for ADHD past and present, major psychiatric diagnosis (depression, anxiety, etc), use of MPH in the past, psychotropic medications or recreational drugs and any other chronic illness; urine will be tested for beta-hCG to rule out pregnancy. Blood pressure and heart rate will be measured. The participants will then be given either placebo or MPH (15-20 mg) and after 90 minutes will proceed to complete the TOVA (that lasts 22 minutes) and Modified Gamble-Decision Test (15 minutes). Before taking the pill and prior to the testing, the subjects will complete the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) which quantifies their subjective feelings regarding present mental and emotional state. In the second session, 2 weeks later, blood pressure and heart will be measured and the VAS completed prior to and 90 minutes after taking the tablet. The subjects then undergo the TOVA and Modified Gamble-Decision Test. Data Analysis: will be performed using the paired t-tests for parametric variables and one way ANOVA with repeated measurements. Significance: Results of this study are important since MPH is used and abused by healthy students as a "study aid" although its objective effects in normal young adults are not well delineated

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

50

Phase

  • Phase 4

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

20 years to 30 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • ages 20-30

Exclusion Criteria:

  • ADHD
  • learning disabilities
  • history of past or present use of MPH or other psychotropic drugs
  • pregnancy
  • chronic illness

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The TOVA score
Time Frame: January - December 2009
January - December 2009

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Shaare Zedek 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

January 1, 2009

Primary Completion (Anticipated)

December 1, 2009

Study Completion (Anticipated)

December 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 30, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 30, 2008

First Posted (Estimate)

December 31, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 31, 2008

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 30, 2008

Last Verified

December 1, 2008

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ShaareZMC.ctil

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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