The Effect of Intranasal Insulin on Neurocognitive Function in Euthymic Patients With Major Depressive Disorder

The recruitment status of this study is unknown because the information has not been verified recently.
Verified November 2007 by University Health Network, Toronto.
Recruitment status was  Recruiting
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
Information provided by:
University Health Network, Toronto
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00570050
First received: December 6, 2007
Last updated: July 3, 2008
Last verified: November 2007
  Purpose

It is hypothesized that intranasal administration of insulin will enhance hippocampal-dependent neurocognitive performance in euthymic individuals with major depressive disorder. This novel initiative represents a proof-of-concept study that insulin is salient to neurocognitive functioning in major depressive disorder; it also represents a novel and safe therapeutic avenue. The available literature suggests that the acute administration of intranasal insulin enhances cognition in memory-impaired older adults with either Alzheimer's disease or minimal cognitive impairment. Prior research demonstrates a cognitive enhancing effect of insulin within one hour of the first intranasal insulin dose. Other studies suggest that the long-term administration of intranasal insulin (i.e. over eight weeks) enhances memory performance in human volunteers. We aim to evaluate the acute and long-term effects of intranasal insulin administration in persons with major depressive disorder. As such, the neuropsychological testings will be conducted at three time points: the week before receiving insulin, within one hour of the first dose and after eight weeks of insulin administration.


Condition Intervention Phase
Major Depressive Disorder
Drug: Diluent
Drug: Intranasal Insulin
Phase 3

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effect of Intranasal Insulin on Neurocognitive Function in Euthymic Individuals With Major Depressive Disorder

Resource links provided by NLM:


Further study details as provided by University Health Network, Toronto:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) Second Edition - Adult Version [ Time Frame: 9 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Backward Masking Task; Trails A; Trails B; Continuous Visual Memory Test (CVMT); Process Dissociation Task (HABCON); Digit Symbol Substitution; Word Fluency; Cognitive Functioning Questionnaire [ Time Frame: 9 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Estimated Enrollment: 90
Study Start Date: December 2007
Estimated Study Completion Date: December 2009
Estimated Primary Completion Date: December 2009 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator: 1 Drug: Intranasal Insulin
Intranasal spray; 40 IU qid; 8 weeks
Placebo Comparator: 2 Drug: Diluent
Intranasal spray; 8 weeks

Detailed Description:

Ninety subjects between the ages of 18 and 60 with DSM-IV-TR defined MDD (diagnosis will be confirmed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for the DSM-IV) will be enrolled. Individuals below the age of 18 and over 60 are excluded as they are not seen at the two recruiting centers. Enrolment into the study is voluntary. Eligible subjects will provide written informed consent. Subjects will be enrolled from the outpatient Mood Disorder Psychopharmacology Unit (MDPU), University Health Network, University of Toronto and the Mood Disorders Program at McMaster University. Study information and consent procedures will be provided by personnel other than the primary treatment provider.

Euthymia (the absence of clinically meaningful symptoms) will be prospectively defined as a score of 7 or less with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression 17 item (HAMD-17) at initial assessment and at 1 month (baseline). Subjects should have a score of at least 1 SD below norm matched for age and sex in the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised Version (HVLT-R) to meet inclusion criteria. This criterion is added as a method of sample enrichment. The MDPU case report form will gather information on subject course of illness variables. Conventional pharmacological treatments for major depressive disorder will be permitted (e.g. conventional antidepressants). Conventional unimodal antidepressants modulate cerebral glucose metabolism; as such, they will be kept consistent throughout the duration of the study, and will not be altered from the point of randomization to study endpoint. Antidepressants and augmentation strategies with significant anti-cholinergic potential (e.g. paroxetine, tricyclic antidepressants) as well as benzodiazepines will be exclusionary as they may negatively affect neurocognitive function.

Subjects will be excluded if they are receiving corticosteroids or antihypertensive medications; misused substance or alcohol in the past 3 months; received electroconvulsive therapy in the last 1 year; or have a neurological or medically unstable condition. Individuals with diabetes mellitus will be excluded as diabetes is independently associated with neurocognitive deficits. Other exclusion criterion includes the inability to provide written informed consent. The HAMD-17 will be administered at baseline and weekly throughout the 8-weeks of treatment assignment. Any subject experiencing a mood event (HAMD17 > 7 on two consecutive visits) will be excluded. Subjects who are actively suicidal or evaluated as being a suicide risk will also be excluded. Other reasons for discontinuation are voluntary discontinuation, failure to complete 1 month of euthymia, impaired fasting glucose (i.e. 6.1-6.9 mmol/L), non-compliance (i.e. failure to administer > 80 % of the assigned treatment in any week). Insulin will be measured quantitatively on a weekly basis; subjects will also complete a diary of when they took intranasal insulin and their prescribed medication.

The ongoing provision of care is not contingent on enrollment and/or completion of the study protocol. Furthermore, there will be ongoing communication with the subject's primary care provider in regards to their participation in this study.

This is a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study.

The initial visit entails the provision of detailed study information to a subject and obtainment of written informed consent from the subject. The subject will then meet a research team member at a later date for a screening visit. This study requires a total of 12 visits.

Neuropsychological testing will be conducted at 3 time points:

  1. Baseline (Visit 3)
  2. Within 60 minutes of the first administration of randomized treatment (Visit 4)
  3. Endpoint (Visit 12)
  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years to 60 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Major Depressive Disorder - Euthymic

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unstable medical conditions
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00570050

Contacts
Contact: Hanna O Woldeyohannes 416-603-5133 hanna.woldeyohannes@uhn.on.ca

Locations
Canada, Ontario
Toronto Western Hospital Recruiting
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5T 2S8
Contact: Hanna O Woldeyohannes     416-603-5800 ext 3219     hanna.woldeyohannes@uhn.on.ca    
Sponsors and Collaborators
University Health Network, Toronto
Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Roger S McIntyre University Health Network, Toronto
  More Information

Additional Information:
No publications provided

Responsible Party: Roger S. McIntyre, University Health Network
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00570050     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: Insulin-MDD
Study First Received: December 6, 2007
Last Updated: July 3, 2008
Health Authority: Canada: Health Canada

Keywords provided by University Health Network, Toronto:
Major Depressive Disorder, Memory, Executive function

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Depressive Disorder
Depression
Depressive Disorder, Major
Mood Disorders
Mental Disorders
Behavioral Symptoms
Insulin
Hypoglycemic Agents
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Pharmacologic Actions

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 16, 2013