Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Human Subjects

NCT ID: NCT02028273

Last Updated: 2019-09-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 14 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2012-05-31
• Study Completion Date: 2018-01-31

Brief Summary

This study is being done to measure the number of brain cells that grow in the brain throughout our lives while determining an effective way to complete this with an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanner. The number of these brain cells may be affected by cocaine use. Researchers are trying to understand the long-term effects of cocaine use on the brain.

Detailed Description

New neurons are generated through the process of neurogenesis. Although most active during pre-natal development, neurogenesis persists throughout the human lifespan. In adulthood, neurogenesis occurs predominantly in the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. A highly novel methodology using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) has recently been developed to measure the formation of hippocampal newborn stem cells in the human brain. We propose to assess Neural Progenitor Cells (NPCs) in the neuropsychiatric disorder cocaine dependence, a chronic disease process associated with pathology of the hippocampus and impaired neurogenesis. In addition, we will assess other measures associated with neurogenesis, including hippocampal (dentate gyrus) cerebral blood volume (CBV) using Vascular-Space-Occupancy (VASO) Magnetic Resonance Imaging. We predict that newborn hippocampal cells [or neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs] will be attenuated in recently using cocaine-addicted participants relative to abstinent and control participants, and that these changes will be paralleled by changes in CBV. In this pilot study, we will assess for these changes in cocaine-addicted subjects who are actively using cocaine and those who are recently abstinent (three to six months) as well as age-, race-, and gender-similar control participants.

Conditions

Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Cocaine Addiction

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

Control

Healthy control group. No history of substance abuse or dependence.

No interventions assigned to this group

Actively using patients

Participants actively using cocaine.

No interventions assigned to this group

Abstinent Patients

Participants who have been abstinent from cocaine use for 3-6 months.

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Cocaine-dependence (patient population) or no cocaine-dependence (control population)

Exclusion Criteria

• Other medical or psychiatric disorders that may effect neural functioning
• Medications that may effect neural functioning

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 55 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Bryon Adinoff, M.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Locations

UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Division on Addictions

Dallas, Texas, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

STU 032012-021

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id