Inositol and Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Pediatric Mania

August 11, 2020 updated by: Janet Wozniak, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Inositol and Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Pediatric Mania

The purpose of this study is to a) evaluate the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids versus inositol in the treatment of pediatric bipolar disorder, b) evaluate the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid plus inositol in the treatment of pediatric bipolar disorder, and c) assess the side effect profile of omega-3 fatty acids plus inositol. This study will be a 12-week trial with children ages 5-12 years old with bipolar spectrum disorders.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The investigators propose to conduct a randomized, double blind, controlled trial that will evaluate effectiveness and tolerability of omega-3 fatty acids and inositol used alone and in combination. The investigators plan to decrease the variability in the population under study by limiting the age range to 5-12 years and excluding cases with significant, untreated, comorbidity. The cognitive effects/side effects with a neuropsychological battery pre and post treatment will be measured. Subjects with a history of failing treatment with two or more conventional treatments will be excluded.

This will be a 12-week, double-blind, randomized clinical trial study to compare efficacy and tolerability of the natural treatments omega-3 fatty acids and inositol used in combination in the treatment of bipolar spectrum disorders in children and adolescents (ages 5-12). Subjects will be randomized in double blind fashion to one of three arms: omega-3 fatty acids, inositol or the combined treatment. Further, the proposed study will include measures of cognition prior to starting study medication and at endpoint. The investigators will minimize the variability of the population under study by limiting the age range to 5-12 years, minimizing untreated or clinically significant comorbidity and excluding subjects who have already failed treatment with 2 or more anti-manic agents. Subjects will include youth ages 5-12 years with a bipolar spectrum disorder (type I, II, or NOS), mixed, manic, or hypomanic state, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) (DSM-IV), randomized to 3 treatment arms: 1) treatment with omega-3 fatty acids (N=20); 2) treatment with inositol (N=20); 3) treatment with the combination of inositol and omega-3 fatty acids (N=20).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

69

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
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Massachusetts General 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

Ages Eligible for Study

3 years to 10 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Male or female subjects, 5-12 years of age.
  2. Subjects must have a DSM-IV diagnosis of a bipolar spectrum disorder (type I, II, or Not Otherwise Specified (NOS)), and currently displaying mixed, manic, or hypomanic symptoms (without psychotic features) according to the DSM-IV based on clinical assessment and confirmed with structured diagnostic interview (Schedule of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Epidemiological Version (K-SADS-E)) (Orvaschel, 1994).
  3. Subjects and their legal representative must have a level of understanding sufficient to communicate intelligently with the investigator and study coordinator, and to cooperate with all tests and examinations required by the protocol.
  4. Subjects and their legal representative must be considered reliable.
  5. Each subject and his/her authorized legal representative must understand the nature of the study. The subject's authorized legal representative must sign an informed consent document and the subject must sign an informed assent document.
  6. Subjects must have an initial score on the YMRS total score of at least 20.
  7. Subject must be able to swallow pills.
  8. Subjects with ADHD and ODD will be allowed to participate in the study provided that the impairment associated with these disorders is of mild or moderate severity (not severe) and milder in severity relative to the impairment of the bipolar disorder, according to clinician evaluation. Subjects with comorbid anxiety disorders will be allowed to participate provided that the impairment associated with the anxiety is of minimal severity, according to clinician evaluation. Subjects with comorbid CD will be excluded.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Investigator and his/her immediate family; defined as the investigator's spouse, parent, child, grandparent, or grandchild.
  2. Serious or unstable illness including hepatic, renal, gastroenterological, respiratory, cardiovascular (including ischemic heart disease), endocrinologic, neurologic, immunologic, or hematologic disease.
  3. History of bleeding diathesis, including those with von Willebrand disease.
  4. Uncorrected hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.
  5. History of sensitivity to omega-3 fatty acids or inositol. A non-responder or history of intolerance to omega-3 fatty acid or inositol, after 2 months of treatment at adequate doses as determined by the clinician.
  6. Severe allergies or multiple adverse drug reactions.
  7. Failed 2 or more previous trials with anti-manic treatments including lithium, anticonvulsants and atypical antipsychotic medication.
  8. Current or past history of seizures.
  9. DSM-IV substance use, abuse or dependence (unlikely in ages 5-12).
  10. Judged clinically to be at serious suicidal risk.
  11. Current diagnosis of schizophrenia.
  12. Current diagnosis of conduct disorder
  13. Pregnancy (unlikely in ages 5-12).
  14. YMRS Item #8 (Content) score of 8 ("delusions; hallucinations").
  15. YMRS total score above 40.
  16. Girls who have begun menstruating.
  17. C-SSRS score ≥ 4.
  18. IQ < 70.

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: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Omega-3/Placebo
Combination Omega-3 and Placebo treatment.
Drug: Omega-3
Children with bipolar spectrum disorders ages 6-12 will receive treatment with omega-3 fatty acids. Study subjects may be randomized to receive 3000mg (6 500mg capsules) of omega-3 fatty acids for the duration of the study. Omega-3 fatty acid capsules are in the form of Nordic Naturals brand, ProOmega Junior, which contains 325mg EPA and 225mg DHA per two capsules.
Other Names:
  • ProOmega Junior
Active Comparator: Placebo/Inositol
Combination Placebo and Inositol treatment.
Drug: Inositol
Children with bipolar spectrum disorders ages 6-12 will receive treatment with inositol, omega-3 fatty acids, or both weekly for 12 weeks. Subjects weighing 25kg or more may be randomized to receive 2000mg (4 500mg capsules) of inositol (80mg/kg for a 25kg child). Children weighing less than 25kg will be dosed at 80mg/kg rounded down to the nearest thousand mg dose. Dosage will remain constant throughout the study.
Active Comparator: Omega-3/Inositol
Combination Omega-3 and Inositol treatment.
Drug: Omega-3
Children with bipolar spectrum disorders ages 6-12 will receive treatment with omega-3 fatty acids. Study subjects may be randomized to receive 3000mg (6 500mg capsules) of omega-3 fatty acids for the duration of the study. Omega-3 fatty acid capsules are in the form of Nordic Naturals brand, ProOmega Junior, which contains 325mg EPA and 225mg DHA per two capsules.
Other Names:
  • ProOmega Junior
Drug: Inositol
Children with bipolar spectrum disorders ages 6-12 will receive treatment with inositol, omega-3 fatty acids, or both weekly for 12 weeks. Subjects weighing 25kg or more may be randomized to receive 2000mg (4 500mg capsules) of inositol (80mg/kg for a 25kg child). Children weighing less than 25kg will be dosed at 80mg/kg rounded down to the nearest thousand mg dose. Dosage will remain constant throughout the study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Improvement in Mania Symptoms by Change in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS)
Time Frame: Baseline to endpoint (12 weeks or last observation carried forward if dropped prior to week 12)
The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) consists of 7 items rated on a scale from 0 (symptoms not present) to 4 (symptoms extremely severe) and 4 items rated on a scale from 0 (symptom not present) to 8 (symptom extremely severe).The YMRS score ranges from 0-60. Questions are asked about the last week. A higher score signifies more severe manic symptoms.
Baseline to endpoint (12 weeks or last observation carried forward if dropped prior to week 12)
Improvement in Depression Symptoms by Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS)
Time Frame: Baseline to endpoint (12 weeks or last observation carried forward if dropped prior to week 12)
The Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS) is a clinician-rated instrument with 17 items scored on a 1 to 5 or 1 to 7 scale. A rating of 1 indicates normal, thus the minimum score is 17. The maximum score is 113. Scores of 20-30 suggest borderline depression. Scores of 40-60 indicate moderate depression.
Baseline to endpoint (12 weeks or last observation carried forward if dropped prior to week 12)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

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.

General Publications

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)

February 3, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 11, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

April 11, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 15, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 15, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

July 18, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 13, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 11, 2020

Last Verified

August 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2009-P-001937

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

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.

Clinical Trials on Pediatric Bipolar Spectrum Disorders

Clinical Trials on Omega-3

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Tunisia

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

3
Subscribe