Neural Circuits in Women With Abuse and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

NCT ID: NCT01681849

Last Updated: 2017-06-28

Study Results

Results available

Outcome measurements, participant flow, baseline characteristics, and adverse events have been published for this study.

View full results

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

91 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2009-07-31

Study Completion Date

2015-07-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of the medication paroxetine on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the brain in women with a history of PTSD related to childhood abuse. The hypothesis is that paroxetine will result in an improvement in PTSD symptoms accompanied by changes in brain functional response to reminders of childhood trauma.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

The main purpose of this study was to look at the effects of paroxetine on PTSD symptoms and brain function in women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to childhood abuse. Participants underwent baseline assessment with of PTSD symptoms measured with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and brain function during exposure to traumatic scripts of childhood abuse. Participants then were treated in a randomized double-blind fashion with paroxetine or placebo for three months, followed by a repeat of these assessments.

Specific Aims of this proposal were therefore to:

* Assess the effects of paroxetine on PTSD symptoms
* Assess the effects of paroxetine on brain function in conjunction with exposure to traumatic scripts using positron emission tomography (PET) with O-15 water

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

PTSD

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Paroxetine Group

Women who have experienced early childhood abuse and have PTSD will be randomized in a double blind fashion to receive paroxetine for a three month period followed by an open label phase of three months.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Paroxetine

Intervention Type DRUG

Following a three month double blind phase, subjects will be treated with open label paroxetine at a variable dosage of 10-40 mg to reach individual therapeutic levels for three months.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants will undergo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the brain with O-15 radiolabelled water with exposure to traumatic scripts

Placebo Group

Women who have experienced early childhood abuse and have PTSD will be randomized in a double blind fashion to receive placebo for a three month period followed by an open label phase of paroxetine for three months.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo

Intervention Type DRUG

Following a three month double blind phase, subjects will be treated with open label paroxetine at a variable dosage of 10-40 mg to reach individual therapeutic levels for three months.

Paroxetine

Intervention Type DRUG

Following a three month double blind phase, subjects will be treated with open label paroxetine at a variable dosage of 10-40 mg to reach individual therapeutic levels for three months.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants will undergo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the brain with O-15 radiolabelled water with exposure to traumatic scripts

PTSD Negative

Women who have experienced early childhood abuse and do not have PTSD will serve as a control group and complete baseline assessments. They do not undergo intervention therefore they are assessed at baseline only.

Group Type OTHER

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants will undergo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the brain with O-15 radiolabelled water with exposure to traumatic scripts

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Placebo

Following a three month double blind phase, subjects will be treated with open label paroxetine at a variable dosage of 10-40 mg to reach individual therapeutic levels for three months.

Intervention Type DRUG

Paroxetine

Following a three month double blind phase, subjects will be treated with open label paroxetine at a variable dosage of 10-40 mg to reach individual therapeutic levels for three months.

Intervention Type DRUG

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging

Participants will undergo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of the brain with O-15 radiolabelled water with exposure to traumatic scripts

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Paxil

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Subjects meet criteria for current PTSD as determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSMIV (SCID) interview for PTSD and the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and have a score of greater than 60 on the CAPS
* history of penetrative sexual abuse which occurred once a month or more, for a period of greater than a year at some time between the ages of 4-13, as assessed by the Early Trauma Inventory (ETI)
* are free of psychotropic medication for four weeks before the study (subjects will not be taken off of medication for the purpose of the study).
* Non-PTSD subjects will be included based on the same criteria with the exception that they do not meet criteria for PTSD.

Exclusion Criteria

* a history of shrapnel or other foreign bodies which would preclude MRI scanning
* meningitis
* traumatic brain injury
* neurological disorder or organic mental disorder
* history of loss of consciousness
* alcohol abuse or substance abuse or dependence based on the SCID within the past 24 months
* positive pregnancy test as measured by a serum beta-HCG or urine pregnancy test on the morning of the PET scan. Women will be counseled about the risks of pregnancy during the course of the study
* current or lifetime history of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bulimia, based on the SCID
* a history of serious medical or neurological illness, such as cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, hepatic, renal, neurologic or other systemic illness
* evidence of a major medical or neurological illness on physical examination or as a result of laboratory studies (CBC, BUN, creatinine, blood sugar, electrolytes, liver and thyroid function tests, urinalysis, and EKG)
* positive urine toxicology screen
* history of ongoing violence such as domestic abuse as measured by the ETI-lifetime
* post-menopausal status as measured by menstrual history.
* Non-PTSD subjects will additionally be excluded with current major depression or other major psychiatric disorder based on the SCID.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

75 Years

Eligible Sex

FEMALE

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Emory University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

J. Douglas Bremner, M.D.

Professor of Psychiatry and Radiology

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

James D. Bremner, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Professor

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

R01MH056120

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

IRB00000857

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.