Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acid on Neurobehavioral Status of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial

November 5, 2023 updated by: Shawsun Tamanna Chowdhury, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acid on Neurobehavioral Status of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized, Double- Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial

This study is conducted to assess whether Omega-3 fatty acid improves neurobehavioral staus of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and whether there is any correlation of this improvement with reference range of Omega-3 fatty acid.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder of children with lifelong impacts. WHO estimates the international prevalence of ASD in 2022 at 1 in 100 children. Till date, no pharmacological treatment has been proven effective for ASD. This proposed study is an effort to explore whether Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation produces improvement in neurobehavioral symptoms of ASD. This study will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.A total of sixty four (64) ASD patients attended in the outpatient department of IPNA, BSMMU will be selected for the study according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Diagnosis of ASD will be made by DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition). After completion of necessary formalities including informed consent of the patients, each participant will be assessed by translated and validated Bangla version of Aberrant Behaviour Checklist (ABC-parents rated). Omega-3 fatty acid ( Docosahexaenoic acid, DHA and Eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA) level in plasma will be measured in HPLC. 32 patients having DHA and EPA within reference value and 32 patients below the reference value will be selected. Then participants of each group will randomly be assigned into two groups: Intervention group and Control group. The intervention group patients will receive Omega-3 fatty acid 1 gm softgel once daily for 8 weeks at or below 25 kg and 1 gm softgel twice daily for 8 weeks above 25 kg making a total dose of 2gm/day. On the other hand, patients in control group will receive 1 placebo softgel of 1 gm once daily for 8 weeks at or below 25 kg and twice daily above 25 kg. After 8 weeks of therapy each participant will be assessed once again by Bangla version of ABC and plasma level of DHA and EPA will be measured.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

64

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Fulfills diagnosis of ASD by meeting DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Written parental consent for participation. Age of children: 2-18 years. Sex: all.

-

Exclusion Criteria:

Those taking Omega-3 fatty acid or fish oil at present. Known allergy to fish or fish oil. Diagnosed with a psychotic disorder (e.g. Schizophrenia) or mood disorder, including depression or bipolar disorder.

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: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Omega-3 fatty acid
One Omega-3 fatty acid softgel capsule 1 gm for children at or below 25 kg and two Omega-3 fatty acid softgel capsule above 25 kg. In this intervention arm having 32 participants, half will have plasma Omega 3 fatty acid level within reference value and rest half below reference value.
Drug: Omega 3 fatty acid
Omega 3 fatty acid 1 gm softgel capsule- 1 for children at or below 25 kg and two for above 25 kg.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Placebo softgels having almost same color and shape, one softgel for children at or above 25 kg and two softgels for children above 25 kg. In this placebo arm having 32 participants, half will have plasma Omega 3 fatty acid fatty acid level within reference value and rest half below reference value.
Drug: Placebo of Omega-3 fatty acid softgel capsule
Placebo of Omega-3 fatty acid softgel capsule- colour and shape almost similar to the original drug- 1 for children at or below 25 kg and 2 for above 25 kg.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change of baseline ASD symptoms at 8 weeks evaluated by Aberrant Behavior Checklist(parent rated)
Time Frame: baseline and 8 weeks
Change of ASD symptoms from baseline to 8 weeks measured by Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC)- community. ABC is a 58 item questionnaire designed to measure the symptoms of Autism spectrum disorder. It has 5 subscales- irritability, social withdrawal, stereotypic behavior, hyperactivity/ non-compliance, Inappropriate speech consisting of 15, 16, 7, 16 and 4 items respectively. The lower scores indicate better outcome.
baseline and 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in baseline plasma DHA level at 8 weeks; Change in baseline plasma EPA level at 8 weeks.
Time Frame: baseline and 8 weeks
Change in plasma DHA level from baseline to 8 weeks. Higher DHA level indicates better outcome.
baseline and 8 weeks
Change in baseline plasma EPA level at 8 weeks;
Time Frame: baseline and 8 weeks.
Change in plasma EPA level from baseline to 8 weeks. Higher EPA level indicates better outcome.
baseline and 8 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

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)

September 19, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 5, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 5, 2023

First Posted (Estimated)

November 9, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

November 9, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 5, 2023

Last Verified

November 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BSMMU/2023/5/965

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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.

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