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Apathy Associated With Alzheimer's Disease

NCT00254033 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: PHASE4 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 40

Last updated 2017-04-28

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Apathy, or lack of motivation, affects up to 80% of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. These amotivational symptoms increase patient reliance on caregivers, increase caregiver burden and distress, and increase the risk of patient institutionalization. Only 50% of patients with apathy respond to current treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors. The mechanism of apathy in AD is unknown hampering rational treatment. Our proposed pilot study will provide initial data required to develop an amphetamine challenge paradigm to probe the brain reward system. These results will be used to develop a larger study evaluating the role of the brain reward system in apathy in AD and link this information with pharmacologic treatment. AD is a complex neurobiological illness that needs to be understood at several levels to optimize treatment. At a neurochemical level, one has to identify the neurotransmitter abnormalities that accompany the clinical symptoms. The neurochemical level of analysis provides the link between pathology and symptoms and, for now, is the only avenue for biological therapies. Next, one has to translate knowledge of neurochemical abnormalities to practical treatments for the symptoms of AD. This pilot will allow us to develop a study that can address both of these goals. Furthermore, the larger study will further define the emerging concept of apathy as a syndrome and has broader implications for apathy in many other neuropsychiatric diseases.

Conditions

Interventions

DRUG

Dextroamphetamine

DRUG

Methylphenidate

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • American Health Assistance Foundation

    collaborator OTHER

  • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Krista L Lanctot, PhD · Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
55 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2003-10-31
Completion
2006-10-31

Countries

  • Canada

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Diseases

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT00254033 on ClinicalTrials.gov