Propranolol in Primary Progressive Aphasia

NCT ID: NCT06066710

Last Updated: 2025-03-28

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

EARLY_PHASE1

Total Enrollment

30 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-01-13

Study Completion Date

2027-12-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of this study is to find out how the language of people with Primary Progressive Aphasia is affected by Propranolol. Propranolol is not FDA approved for the treatment of Primary Progressive Aphasia. Propranolol is FDA approved for the treatment of heart conditions such as blood pressure.

This research is being done because there are currently no drug treatment options for language impairments and anxiety often experienced by people with Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Aphasia, Primary Progressive

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Propanolol and MRI

Participants will receive propranolol via oral capsule. The drug dosage will be titrated slowly to ensure the drug is tolerated well.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Propranolol

Intervention Type DRUG

Propranolol will be given on a titration schedule in which participants will begin with small doses of the drug and increase to a larger dosage over the course of three weeks. Propranolol will be taken for a total of 9 weeks.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) will be performed at 3 Tesla and 7 Tesla, for both propranolol and placebo arms.

Placebo and MRI

Participants will receive placebo via oral capsule.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) will be performed at 3 Tesla and 7 Tesla, for both propranolol and placebo arms.

Placebo

Intervention Type DRUG

Placebo will be given on the same schedule as the propranolol regime.

Interventions

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Propranolol

Propranolol will be given on a titration schedule in which participants will begin with small doses of the drug and increase to a larger dosage over the course of three weeks. Propranolol will be taken for a total of 9 weeks.

Intervention Type DRUG

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) will be performed at 3 Tesla and 7 Tesla, for both propranolol and placebo arms.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Placebo

Placebo will be given on the same schedule as the propranolol regime.

Intervention Type DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* 1\. Age: 50 and older
* 2\. Primary Progressive Aphasia diagnosis
* 3\. Native English speaker

Exclusion Criteria

* 1\. Unable to provide consent
* 2\. Taking alpha 2 agonists (clonidine and guanfacine)
* 3\. Other major psychological or neurological diagnosis
* 4\. Major head trauma that contributed to their condition
* 5\. Allergic reaction to adhesives
* 6\. Uncorrected vision/hearing impairments
* 7\. Diabetes
* 8\. Reactive airway disease
* 9\. Untreated hypothyroidism
* 10\. Bradyarrhythmia
* 11\. Unexplained syncope
* 12\. Pregnancy (assessed verbally on the days of MR imaging)
* 13\. Drugs that interact with propranolol, such as alpha 2 agonists
* 14\. Claustrophobia, inner ear implants, aneurysm or other surgical clips, metal foreign bodies in eye, pacemaker or other contraindication to MR scanning. Subjects with any implanted device that cannot be verified as MRI compliant will be excluded.
Minimum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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University of Missouri-Columbia

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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David Beversdorf

Professor, Department of Radiology & Thompson Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Missouri-Columbia

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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David Beversdorf, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Missouri-Columbia

Locations

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University of Missouri-Columbia

Columbia, Missouri, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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David Beversdorf, MD

Role: CONTACT

573-882-6081

Jessica Call

Role: CONTACT

573-882-0515

Facility Contacts

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David Beversdorf, MD

Role: primary

573-882-6081

Jessica Call

Role: backup

573-882-0515

References

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Mesulam MM. Primary progressive aphasia. Ann Neurol. 2001 Apr;49(4):425-32.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11310619 (View on PubMed)

Mesulam M, Weintraub S. Primary progressive aphasia and kindred disorders. Handb Clin Neurol. 2008;89:573-87. doi: 10.1016/S0072-9752(07)01254-7. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18631780 (View on PubMed)

Gorno-Tempini ML, Hillis AE, Weintraub S, Kertesz A, Mendez M, Cappa SF, Ogar JM, Rohrer JD, Black S, Boeve BF, Manes F, Dronkers NF, Vandenberghe R, Rascovsky K, Patterson K, Miller BL, Knopman DS, Hodges JR, Mesulam MM, Grossman M. Classification of primary progressive aphasia and its variants. Neurology. 2011 Mar 15;76(11):1006-14. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31821103e6. Epub 2011 Feb 16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21325651 (View on PubMed)

Johnson JK, Diehl J, Mendez MF, Neuhaus J, Shapira JS, Forman M, Chute DJ, Roberson ED, Pace-Savitsky C, Neumann M, Chow TW, Rosen HJ, Forstl H, Kurz A, Miller BL. Frontotemporal lobar degeneration: demographic characteristics of 353 patients. Arch Neurol. 2005 Jun;62(6):925-30. doi: 10.1001/archneur.62.6.925.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15956163 (View on PubMed)

Grossman M. Primary progressive aphasia: clinicopathological correlations. Nat Rev Neurol. 2010 Feb;6(2):88-97. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2009.216.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20139998 (View on PubMed)

Albert ML, Bachman DL, Morgan A, Helm-Estabrooks N. Pharmacotherapy for aphasia. Neurology. 1988 Jun;38(6):877-9. doi: 10.1212/wnl.38.6.877.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 3368068 (View on PubMed)

Walker-Batson D, Curtis S, Natarajan R, Ford J, Dronkers N, Salmeron E, Lai J, Unwin DH. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the use of amphetamine in the treatment of aphasia. Stroke. 2001 Sep;32(9):2093-8. doi: 10.1161/hs0901.095720.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11546902 (View on PubMed)

Beversdorf DQ. Pharmacotherapy of aphasia. J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2007 Jan-Feb;22(1):65-6. doi: 10.1097/00001199-200701000-00008. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17235233 (View on PubMed)

Zamzow RM, Ferguson BJ, Stichter JP, Porges EC, Ragsdale AS, Lewis ML, Beversdorf DQ. Effects of propranolol on conversational reciprocity in autism spectrum disorder: a pilot, double-blind, single-dose psychopharmacological challenge study. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2016 Apr;233(7):1171-8. doi: 10.1007/s00213-015-4199-0. Epub 2016 Jan 14.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26762378 (View on PubMed)

Beversdorf DQ, Sharma UK, Phillips NN, Notestine MA, Slivka AP, Friedman NM, Schneider SL, Nagaraja HN, Hillier A. Effect of propranolol on naming in chronic Broca's aphasia with anomia. Neurocase. 2007 Aug;13(4):256-9. doi: 10.1080/13554790701595471.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17886000 (View on PubMed)

Faigel HC. The effect of beta blockade on stress-induced cognitive dysfunction in adolescents. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 1991 Jul;30(7):441-5. doi: 10.1177/000992289103000706.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 1879101 (View on PubMed)

Laverdure B, Boulenger JP. [Beta-blocking drugs and anxiety. A proven therapeutic value]. Encephale. 1991 Sep-Oct;17(5):481-92. French.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 1686251 (View on PubMed)

Cahana-Amitay D, Albert ML, Pyun SB, Westwood A, Jenkins T, Wolford S, Finley M. Language as a Stressor in Aphasia. Aphasiology. 2011;25(2):593-614. doi: 10.1080/02687038.2010.541469. Epub 2011 Apr 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22701271 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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2097152

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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