Explorative Efficacy Profile of Neurexan® in an Experimental Acute Stress Setting in Healthy Subjects

Phase 1

Completed

• Conditions: Acute Stress Reaction
• Interventions: Other: Placebo; Drug: Neurexan®

• Registration Number: NCT01703819
• Lead Sponsor: Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of acutely dosed Neurexan using an experimental stress test called the Trier Social Stress Test

Detailed Description

An acute stress reaction is a biopsychological condition arising in response to an event which is individually regarded as emotionally stressful. The onset of a stress response is associated with specific physiological actions in the sympathetic nervous system, both directly and indirectly through the release of adrenaline and to a lesser extent noradrenaline from the medulla of the adrenal glands. These catecholamine hormones facilitate immediate physical reactions by triggering increases in heart rate and breathing, constricting blood vessels. The other major player in the acute stress response is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Although stress has been described as a non-specific psychophysiological response to environmental stimuli, it is possible to discern specific bodily stress responses caused by specific emotional reactions to novel, ambivalent or uncontrollable situations and stimuli. For example, social stress induces elevated cortisol levels, particularly if the stressor is uncontrollable, unpredictable, and constitutes a social-evaluative threat due to the judgment of others such as in the Trier Social Stress Test. Usually, the TSST induces a two-fold increase in saliva cortisol with peaks around 10-20 min. after stress test termination. Also, an average increase in heart rates of around 20 beats per minute (bpm) is observed during the TSST. In addition, emotional states and feelings have been shown to be affected by this stress test, such as marked increases in stress perception,anxiety and emotional insecurity as well as decreases in mood, calmness and feeling awake.

Preliminary results indicate that Neurexan® may improve coping abilities in stressful situations. This study aims to investigate the effect of Neurexan® on subjectively perceived nervousness and tension during an acute stressful situation and to characterize the efficacy profile of Neurexan®.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2012-10
• Study First Submitted: 2012-10-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2012-10-10
• Study First Posted: 2012-10-11
• Primary Completion: 2013-04
• Study Completion: 2013-04
• Results First Submitted: 2014-08-01
• Status Verified: 2015-02
• Results First Submitted QC: 2015-02-09
• Last Update Submitted: 2015-02-09
• Results First Posted: 2015-02-11
• Last Update Posted: 2015-02-11

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 66

Inclusion Criteria

1. Provide written informed consent
2. Healthy male or female
3. age between 31 to 59 years
4. Fluent in German language.
5. Ability to understand the explanations and instructions given by the study physician

Exclusion Criteria

1. allergies to ingredients of Neurexan® (Passiflora incarnata, Avena sativa, Coffea arabica, Zincum isovalerianicum, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate) or Placebo
2. lactose intolerance
3. use of any psychological stress-management intervention within the last 4 weeks
4. sick leave for any reason
5. participation in any other clinical study 3 months prior to Screening Visit
6. current or recent (3 months prior to Screening Visit) history of substance abuse or drug dependence including nicotine and alcohol (as verified in the respective IDCL list)
7. smokers
8. alcohol intake within last 24 hours (before Baseline Visit V3)
9. shift workers or work regularly during night time
10. use of any psychotropic medication or suffering from severe psychiatric illness needing acute intervention
11. BMI > 30 kg/m2
12. currently pregnant (verified by urine pregnancy test) or lactating
13. participation in a previous TSST study
14. high chronic stress as verified with the TICS-SSCS (a score of ≥ 23 on the screening scale for chronic stress meets the criterion of being chronically stressed)
15. major mental disorder as verified with the IDCL (depressive episode, panic disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsory disorder; alcohol dependency; schizophrenia and mania.)
16. employee of the Sponsor, one of the investigators or the CRO
17. use of any concomitant medication except contraceptives
18. any somatic disease or other condition the Investigator or their duly assigned representatives believes may affect the ability of the individual to complete the study or the interpretation of the study results
19. Individuals whose ability to speak for themselves lacks or can be doubted

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Placebo	Placebo	6 tablets, 1 tablet every 30 minutes from -180 minutes to -30 minutes
Neurexan®	Neurexan®	0.6 mg / tablet, 6 tablets, 1 tablet every 30 minutes from -180 minutes to -30 minutes

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Acute Stress Measured by Tension	-210 minutes to +100 minutes	Tension and nervousness were self-assessed by the participants on a 0 to 100 millimeter (mm) Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before and after a stress test. The VAS is used to determine the subjective impression of tension and nervousness on a 10 cm bipolar visual scale ranging from 0; = "not at all" to 100 = "highly". The measurements started with first intake of Neurexan or Placebo and were repeated until 100 minutes after the end of the stress test. The total stress was then summarized with the area under the curve (AUC) method.
Acute Stress Measured by Nervousness	-210 minutes to +100 minutes	Tension and nervousness were self-assessed by the participants on a 0 to 100 millimeter (mm) Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before and after a stress test. The VAS is used to determine the subjective impression of tension and nervousness on a 10 cm bipolar visual scale ranging from 0; = "not at all" to 100 = "highly". The measurements started with first intake of Neurexan or Placebo and were repeated until 100 minutes after the end of the stress test. The total stress was then summarized with the Area under the curve (AUC) method.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in Plasma Cortisol	-60 minutes, +15 minutes, +45 minutes, +100 minutes	The stress biomarkers plasma and saliva cortisol and alpha amylase and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and catecholamines (norepinephrine and epinephrine) were measured before and after a stress test. The measurements started 60 minutes before stress test and were repeated until 100 minutes after the end of the stress test.
Changes in Saliva Alpha Amylase	-60 minutes, +15 minutes, +45 minutes, +100 minutes	The stress biomarkers plasma and saliva cortisol, alpha amylase, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and catecholamines (norepinephrine and epinephrine) were measured before and after a stress test. The measurements started 60 minutes before stress test and were repeated until 100 minutes after the end of the stress test.
Changes in Plasma Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH)	-60 minutes, +15 minutes, +45 minutes, +100 minutes	The stress biomarkers plasma and saliva cortisol and alpha amylase and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and catecholamines (norepinephrine and epinephrine) were measured before and after a stress test. The measurements started 60 minutes before stress test and were repeated until 100 minutes after the end of the stress test.
Changes in Natural Killer (NK) Cells (Subgroup)	-60 minutes, +15 minutes, +45 minutes, +100 minutes	The Natural Killer Cells as immune cells and stress biomarkers were measured before and after a stress test. The measurements started 60 minutes before stress test and were repeated until 100 minutes after the end of the stress test.
Changes in Saliva Cortisol	-60 minutes, +15 minutes, +45 minutes, +100 minutes	The stress biomarkers plasma and saliva cortisol and alpha amylase and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and catecholamines (norepinephrine and epinephrine) were measured before and after a stress test. The measurements started 60 minutes before stress test and were repeated until 100 minutes after the end of the stress test.
Changes in Plasma Catecholamines (Epinephrine)	-60 minutes, +15 minutes, +45 minutes, +100 minutes	The stress biomarkers plasma and saliva cortisol and alpha amylase and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and catecholamines (norepinephrine and epinephrine) were measured before and after a stress test. The measurements started 60 minutes before stress test and were repeated until 100 minutes after the end of the stress test.
Changes in Blood Pressure	-15 minutes, 0 minutes, +15 minutes, +45 minutes	Blood pressure and heart rate were measured before and after a stress test by continuous cardiovascular recording.; The measurements started 30 minutes before stress test and were repeated until 45 minutes after the end of the stress test.
Changes in Heart Rate	-15 minutes, 0 minutes, +15 minutes, +45 minutes	Blood pressure and heart rate were measured before and after a stress test by continuous cardiovascular recording.; The measurements started 30 minutes before stress test and were repeated until 45 minutes after the end of the stress test.
State Anxiety and Stress Perception Measured by STAI-X1	-90 minutes, +15 minutes, +100 minutes	State anxiety and stress perception were measured by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory X1 before and after a stress test. The measurements took place 90 minutes before the stress test and were repeated at 15 and 100 minutes after the end of the stress test. The German version of the State-Trait-Anxiety Inventory was used and differentiates between temporary/emotional state anxiety versus personality trait anxiety. The two scales with 20 items each assess (1) anxiety as a trait (STAI-X2) and (2) anxiety as a state (STAI-XI). Answers are given in a 4-point rating scale ranging from 1 ="not at all" to 4 ="very true". For analysis of each, STAI-scale single scores were summed up to one total score, representing the state and trait anxiety. Score range is 20-80 and higher scores indicate a higher anxiety.
Changes in Plasma Catecholamines (Norepinephrine)	-60 minutes, +15 minutes, +45 minutes, +100 minutes	The stress biomarkers plasma and saliva cortisol and alpha amylase and Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and catecholamines (norepinephrine and epinephrine) were measured before and after a stress test. The measurements started 60 minutes before stress test and were repeated until 100 minutes after the end of the stress test.
Psychological Questionnaire (Modified Somatic SCL90)	-210 minutes, +100 minutes	The SCL90 has 90 items with dimensions like depression, somatization, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social insecurity, anxiety, phobic anxiety, aggression/hostility, paranoid ideation, psychoticism and each item in a subscale ranged from 0 to 4. The lower range values are favorable outcomes and higher are worse outcomes. The modified somatic SCL90 uses the SCL90 somatization items, but instead of a 7 day timeframe asks for "now". The corresponding items from SCL90 were: 1, 4, 12, 27, 40, 42, 48, 49, 52, 53, 56, 58 and the introductory question: "How much do you currently suffer from" ("Wie sehr leiden Sie momentan unter:"). The median of the average Modified Somatic SCL90 score is reported. The average score was calculated at each time point as the sum score divided by the number of non-missing individual question results for subjects with no more than 2 missing responses. The lower values in the range represent favorable outcomes while the higher values represent worse outcomes.

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Institut fur Medizinische Psychologie und Verhaltensimmunbiologie Universitatsklinikum Essen; 🇩🇪 Essen, Germany

Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie, Fachbereich Psychologie, Universität Marburg; 🇩🇪 Marburg, Germany