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Treatment Study of Frontotemporal Dementia

Completed
Conditions
Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration
Registration Number
NCT00088751
Lead Sponsor
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Brief Summary

Objectives. The proposed clinical study has two goals: First, to assess the efficacy of a central nervous system stimulant and an atypical antipsychotic in treating the behavioral symptoms of FTD and second, to further characterize the biological markers, including genetic, imaging, and CSF proteins, of FTD in relation to our existing group of Alzheimer's patients.

Rationale. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is increasingly recognized as an important neuropsychiatric disorder. Symptoms of FTD include disinhibition, impulsivity, apathy, affective lability, and language dysfunction. The clinical syndrome is associated with frontal and/or anterior temporal atrophy on imaging and autopsy. Levels of the CSF proteins tau and (Beta)-amyloid 1-42, shown to have diagnostic utility in patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD), have also been found to be abnormal in FTD. FTD is less associated with APOE genotype than AD, however some familial cases of FTD are associated with specific mutations in the gene encoding the tau protein. Currently, no treatments have been proven to be effective for altering the course or clinical symptoms of FTD.

Design. Study subjects will include 50 male and female patients with mild-moderate frontotemporal dementia recruited from participants in NINDS protocol 02-N-0001. In a double-blinded crossover 11-week study without a placebo control, patients will be treated with a stimulant (dextroamphetamine) and an atypical antipsychotic (quetiapine). The primary outcome measures will be the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and the Clinical Global Impression of Change. Cerebrospinal fluid, cognitive and genetic measures, brain MRIs, and side effects scales will also be collected.

Detailed Description

Objectives. The goal of the proposed clinical study is to assess the efficacy of a central nervous system stimulant and an atypical antipsychotic in treating the behavioral symptoms of FTD.

Rationale. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is increasingly recognized as an important neuropsychiatric disorder. Symptoms of FTD include disinhibition, impulsivity, apathy, affective lability, and language dysfunction. The clinical syndrome is associated with frontal and/or anterior temporal atrophy on imaging and autopsy. Currently, no treatments have been proven to be effective for altering the course or clinical symptoms of FTD.

Design. Study subjects will include 20 male and female patients with mild-moderate frontotemporal dementia recruited from participants in NINDS protocols 02-N-0001 and 81-N-0010. In a double-blinded crossover 11-week study without a placebo control, patients will be treated with a stimulant (dextroamphetamine) and an atypical antipsychotic (quetiapine). The primary outcome measures will be the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and the Clinical Global Impression of Change. Cognitive measures and side effects scales will also be collected.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
20
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike

🇺🇸

Bethesda, Maryland, United States

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