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Exploiting Leading Edge 7T MRI Brain Imaging to Decipher Olumiant's Mode of Analgesic Action in Rheumatoid Arthritis

NCT05112120 · Status: COMPLETED · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 13

Last updated 2023-10-31

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The revolution in treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has transformed patient outcomes, but many patients continue to experience life disabling pain. Even those who achieve full disease remission with state-of-the-art treatments report substantially higher levels of pain when compared to the general population. Researchers believe this disconnect is due to the existence of pain sources that are in addition to those present in the joints. In particular, the central nervous system (CNS) may have an important role in determining RA pain.

According to a recent study, RA patients who received treatment with Olumiant (a Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor that works by interfering with the inflammatory processes that lead to the symptoms of RA) reported better and quicker pain improvements compared to those receiving other types of therapy. However, this could not be explained by levels of peripheral inflammation alone and remains to be fully understood. Investigators think this improvement may be related to the role of the JAK pathway in the brain and that inhibition of this pathway with Olumiant could normalise brain connectivity in respect to pain processing.

Advanced brain scanning methods have already helped to identify specific regions of the brain that are thought to be important in pain processing and peripheral inflammation; a) enhanced functional connectivity between the Default Mode Network (DMN) and insula and b) enhanced functional connectivity between the Dorsal Attention Network (DAN) and the left inferior parietal lobule (LIPL). This study aims to elucidate the mechanisms of analgesic action of Olumiant by examining changes in functional connectivity and glutamate levels within the CNS and exploring the relationship between MRI markers, pain, clinical phenotype and peripheral immune markers.

Conditions

Interventions

DRUG

Olumiant

Olumiant (4mg) will be administered in line with standard of care guidance.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Principal Investigators

  • Neil Basu, M.D Ph.D · University of Glasgow

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
74 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2021-07-21
Primary Completion
2023-08-03
Completion
2023-08-03

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

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Entities

Diseases
Companies

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 NCT05112120 on ClinicalTrials.gov