Trial Outcomes & Findings for Riluzole in Mild Alzheimer's Disease (NCT NCT01703117)

NCT ID: NCT01703117

Last Updated: 2021-09-22

Results Overview

Change from baseline to 6 months in cerebral glucose metabolism measured with FDG PET in posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, precuneus, and medial temporal, lateral temporal, inferior parietal, and frontal lobes, referred to collectively as our pre-specified regions of interest. Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging procedure that measures glucose metabolism in the brain.It is a well-established Alzheimer's disease biomarker and predictor of disease progression. For each FDG PET scan, 5 mCi of fluorodeoxyglucose was administered followed by a 40 minute uptake period during which the participant was in a resting state. Images were acquired on a Siemens Biograph 64mCT scanner as a series of 4 frames of 5 minutes each. Using SPM12 (Wellcome Trust), motion correction was performed and frames averaged into a static image. Each 6 month scan was coregistered to the baseline FDG scan, which was co-registered to the participant's T1-weighted MRI scan.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

PHASE2

Target enrollment

50 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

Change from baseline to 6 months

Results posted on

2021-09-22

Participant Flow

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Riluzole
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Placebo
Matching placebo twice a day
Overall Study
STARTED
26
24
Overall Study
COMPLETED
22
20
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
4
4

Reasons for withdrawal

Reasons for withdrawal
Measure
Riluzole
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Placebo
Matching placebo twice a day
Overall Study
Adverse Event
4
3
Overall Study
Withdrawal by Subject
0
1

Baseline Characteristics

Riluzole in Mild Alzheimer's Disease

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Placebo
n=20 Participants
Matching placebo twice a day
Riluzole
n=22 Participants
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Total
n=42 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Continuous
74.6 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.7 • n=5 Participants
75.3 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.8 • n=7 Participants
74.98 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.7 • n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
14 Participants
n=5 Participants
12 Participants
n=7 Participants
26 Participants
n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
6 Participants
n=5 Participants
10 Participants
n=7 Participants
16 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black or African American
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
1 Participants
n=7 Participants
1 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black/non-Hispanic
1 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
1 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Latino/Hispanic
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
1 Participants
n=7 Participants
1 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White/non-Hispanic
19 Participants
n=5 Participants
20 Participants
n=7 Participants
39 Participants
n=5 Participants
Education
15.1 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.1 • n=5 Participants
15.9 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.0 • n=7 Participants
15.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.0 • n=5 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to 6 months

Change from baseline to 6 months in cerebral glucose metabolism measured with FDG PET in posterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, precuneus, and medial temporal, lateral temporal, inferior parietal, and frontal lobes, referred to collectively as our pre-specified regions of interest. Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging procedure that measures glucose metabolism in the brain.It is a well-established Alzheimer's disease biomarker and predictor of disease progression. For each FDG PET scan, 5 mCi of fluorodeoxyglucose was administered followed by a 40 minute uptake period during which the participant was in a resting state. Images were acquired on a Siemens Biograph 64mCT scanner as a series of 4 frames of 5 minutes each. Using SPM12 (Wellcome Trust), motion correction was performed and frames averaged into a static image. Each 6 month scan was coregistered to the baseline FDG scan, which was co-registered to the participant's T1-weighted MRI scan.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=20 Participants
Matching placebo twice a day
Riluzole
n=22 Participants
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
Posterior cingulate
-0.048 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.035
-0.005 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.035
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
Precuneus
-0.032 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.028
-0.007 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.032
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
Temporal
-0.023 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.033
0.002 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.029
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
Frontal
-0.129 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.066
-0.077 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.072
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
Parietal
-0.020 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.027
-0.005 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.024
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
Hippocampus
-0.018 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.034
-0.002 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.029
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
Right Hippocampus
-0.021 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.036
0.002 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.027
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
AD Progression score
0.579 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.607
0.245 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.558
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
Post Cing - Precuneus
-0.041 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.042
-0.006 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.038
Imaging Biomarkers FDG-PET SUVR in Regions of Interest
Orbitofrontal
-0.019 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.044
0.014 Standardized Uptake Value Ratios (SUVRs)
Standard Deviation 0.036

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Changes from baseline to 6 months

Population: Some participants could not complete MRS study due to multiple reasons (eg could not tolerate lengthy exam, did not return to visit etc) or did complete it but quality control of the MRS spectra did not pass screening criteria for analysis.

N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is a neuronal viability marker measured through magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS).In vivo brain levels of NAA, glutamate, tCr and other major metabolites were obtained using 1H MRS and a 2x2x2-cm3 Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PC) voxel of interest in approximately 6.5 minutes using the constant-time point-resolved spectroscopy (CT-PRESS) technique with TE 30 ms, 129 constant-time increments (t1) of 0.8ms, and TR 1500 ms and a receive-only 8-channel phased-array head coil.The levels of NAA and other metabolites were expressed semi-quantitatively as ratios of peak areas relative to that of the unsuppressed water signal (W) from the same voxels. For consistency with earlier MRS literature, levels of the same metabolites were also expressed as peak ratios relative to tCr area in the same voxel.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=19 Participants
Matching placebo twice a day
Riluzole
n=19 Participants
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Imaging Biomarkers N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in Posterior Cingulate (PC) Measured Through 1H MRS
BASELINE (NAA/W)
0.3843874 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0815156
0.4274546 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0684472
Imaging Biomarkers N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in Posterior Cingulate (PC) Measured Through 1H MRS
3 MONTHS (NAA/W)
0.3996655 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0927727
0.4248429 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0774599
Imaging Biomarkers N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in Posterior Cingulate (PC) Measured Through 1H MRS
6 MONTHS (NAA/W)
0.3784181 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0758756
0.4415926 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.1039630
Imaging Biomarkers N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in Posterior Cingulate (PC) Measured Through 1H MRS
BASELINE (NAA/tCr)
1.4488809 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.1731644
1.4802620 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.1412636
Imaging Biomarkers N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in Posterior Cingulate (PC) Measured Through 1H MRS
3 MONTHS (NAA/tCr)
1.4271889 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.1140340
1.4766125 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.1304353
Imaging Biomarkers N-acetylaspartate (NAA) in Posterior Cingulate (PC) Measured Through 1H MRS
6 MONTHS (NAA/tCr)
1.4594796 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.1458860
1.4811814 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.1474927

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Change from baseline to 6 months

Population: Some participants could not complete MRS study due to multiple reasons (eg could not tolerate lengthy exam, did not return to visit etc) or did complete it but quality control of the MRS spectra did not pass screening criteria for analysis.

In vivo measurement of glutamate with 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) (a neuroimaging study) in posterior cingulate as a marker of target engagement at three and six months compared to baseline.In vivo brain levels of glutamate, tCr and other major metabolites were obtained using 1H MRS and a 2x2x2-cm3 Posterior Cingulate Cortex voxel of interest in approximately 6.5 minutes using the constant-time point-resolved spectroscopy (CT-PRESS) technique with TE 30 ms, 129 constant-time increments (t1) of 0.8ms, and TR 1500 ms and a receive-only 8-channel phased-array head coil.The levels of glutamate and other metabolites were expressed semi-quantitatively as ratios of peak areas relative to that of the unsuppressed water signal (W) from the same voxels. For consistency with earlier MRS literature, levels of the same metabolites were also expressed as peak ratios relative to tCr area in the same voxel.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=19 Participants
Matching placebo twice a day
Riluzole
n=19 Participants
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Glutamate Levels Measured Through 1H MRS
BASELINE (Glu/W)
0.0598059 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0164069
0.0677906 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0133271
Glutamate Levels Measured Through 1H MRS
3 MONTHS (Glu/W)
0.0579899 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0181040
0.0646162 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0107094
Glutamate Levels Measured Through 1H MRS
6 MONTHS (Glu/W)
0.0609985 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0156960
0.0633453 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0147764
Glutamate Levels Measured Through 1H MRS
BASELINE (Glu/tCr)
0.2280186 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0543718
0.2367567 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0484442
Glutamate Levels Measured Through 1H MRS
3 MONTHS (Glu/tCr)
0.2080647 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0515160
0.2285644 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0441709
Glutamate Levels Measured Through 1H MRS
6 MONTHS (Glu/tCr)
0.2339366 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0370164
0.2162526 Ratios
Standard Deviation 0.0426140

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: baseline to 6 months

The ADAS comprises two subscales, cognitive and non-cognitive. The Cognitive Subscale (ADAScog) is a psychometric instrument that includes 11 tasks and evaluates memory, attention, reasoning, language, orientation, and praxis, scored from 0 to 70. The full ADAS total is scored by summing the number of errors made on each task on a range from 0 to 150 so that higher scores indicate worse performance.The non-cognitive component was not used in this study. Obtained for correlation with neuroimaging biomarkers.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=22 Participants
Matching placebo twice a day
Riluzole
n=20 Participants
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) - Cognitive Subscale (ADAScog)
BASELINE
22.4981818 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 7.8875264
17.9005000 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 7.4614719
Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) - Cognitive Subscale (ADAScog)
6 MONTHS
21.8022727 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 9.7334313
18.8495000 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 9.2608983

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: baseline to 6 months

NPI assesses psychopathology in participants with dementia and other neurologic disorders. Information is obtained from a caregiver familiar with the participant's behavior. Total score ranges from 0 to 144; Higher scores indicate greater disease severity. Obtained for correlation with neuroimaging

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=22 Participants
Matching placebo twice a day
Riluzole
n=20 Participants
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Neuropsychiatry Inventory - NPI
6 MONTHS
9.0909091 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 6.6254135
14.0500000 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 12.8082005
Neuropsychiatry Inventory - NPI
BASELINE
9.6363636 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 9.1627894
10.2000000 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 11.1383642

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: baseline to 6 months

ADCS-ADL is a 23-item inventory developed as a Rater-administered questionnaire answered by the participant's caregiver. It measures performance of basic and instrumental activities of daily living by participants. The total score ranges from 0 to 78, with lower scores indicating greater disease severity. Obtained for correlation with neuroimaging

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Placebo
n=22 Participants
Matching placebo twice a day
Riluzole
n=20 Participants
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
ADCS Activities of Daily Living
BASELINE
68.3636364 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 9.5096215
68.0500000 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 9.3215935
ADCS Activities of Daily Living
6 MONTHS
65.5000000 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 11.5377228
64.3000000 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 10.7757037

Adverse Events

Riluzole

Serious events: 2 serious events
Other events: 21 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Placebo

Serious events: 1 serious events
Other events: 21 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Serious adverse events
Measure
Riluzole
n=26 participants at risk
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Placebo
n=24 participants at risk
Matching placebo twice a day
Gastrointestinal disorders
GI
3.8%
1/26 • Number of events 1 • 6 months
0.00%
0/24 • 6 months
Blood and lymphatic system disorders
Blood disorder
3.8%
1/26 • Number of events 1 • 6 months
0.00%
0/24 • 6 months
Cardiac disorders
Cardiac
0.00%
0/26 • 6 months
4.2%
1/24 • Number of events 1 • 6 months

Other adverse events

Other adverse events
Measure
Riluzole
n=26 participants at risk
Riluzole 50mg twice a day
Placebo
n=24 participants at risk
Matching placebo twice a day
Gastrointestinal disorders
Abdominal discomfort
15.4%
4/26 • 6 months
0.00%
0/24 • 6 months
Gastrointestinal disorders
Diarrhea
15.4%
4/26 • 6 months
8.3%
2/24 • 6 months
General disorders
Dizziness
15.4%
4/26 • 6 months
4.2%
1/24 • 6 months
Renal and urinary disorders
Urinary frequency
11.5%
3/26 • 6 months
0.00%
0/24 • 6 months
Gastrointestinal disorders
Nausea
7.7%
2/26 • 6 months
0.00%
0/24 • 6 months
Respiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders
Cough
19.2%
5/26 • 6 months
12.5%
3/24 • 6 months
Hepatobiliary disorders
Elevated liver enzymes
7.7%
2/26 • 6 months
4.2%
1/24 • 6 months
Psychiatric disorders
Anxiety
7.7%
2/26 • 6 months
16.7%
4/24 • 6 months
Psychiatric disorders
Paranoia
3.8%
1/26 • 6 months
12.5%
3/24 • 6 months
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Rash
3.8%
1/26 • 6 months
8.3%
2/24 • 6 months
General disorders
Fatigue
3.8%
1/26 • 6 months
8.3%
2/24 • 6 months
General disorders
Somnolence
0.00%
0/26 • 6 months
12.5%
3/24 • 6 months
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders
Back Pain
7.7%
2/26 • 6 months
8.3%
2/24 • 6 months

Additional Information

Dr. Ana Pereira

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Phone: 212-241-6984

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place