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CompletedNCT00088751Updated Jul 2, 2017

Treatment Study of Frontotemporal Dementia

An observational study in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, sponsored by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 45 Years to 95 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-07-02.

Sponsored by National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) · Observational

Study type
Observational
Enrollment
20
Ages
45 Years to 95 Years
Sex
All
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Study 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.

Read the 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.

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Conditions studied

  • Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

Keywords

  • Frontotemporal Dementia
  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Atypical Antipsychotic
  • Stimulant
  • Apathy
  • Disinhibition
  • Antipsychotic
  • Biomarkers
  • Dementia
  • FTD
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In context

Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration

44 studies on the registry are indexed under Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration; 12 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 20 is below the median of 109 across 20 observational studies indexed under Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration.

Browse Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration studies →

Lead sponsor

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is the lead sponsor of 601 studies on the registry; 56 are open to participants now.

Of its 18 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 8 (44%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
45 Years to 95 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  1. FTD as diagnosed by the Lund-Manchester criteria including patients with diagnoses of Semantic Dementia or Primary Progressive Aphasia.

    1. Ages 45 to 95 years old.
    2. Mild-to-moderate (CDR 1 to 2) FTD with an assigned durable power of attorney.

Exclusion criteria

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

  1. Diagnosis of any form of dementia besides FTD, including AD, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, dementia associated with Parkinson's disease, Corticobasal Degeneration and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.
  2. Severe dementia (CDR 3).
  3. Known allergy or serious adverse reaction to quetiapine or dextroamphetamine.
  4. Patient is already receiving a stimulant (methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, pemoline, or modafinil), or an antipsychotic medication, typical or atypical, including prochlorperazine and metoclopromide.
  5. Patients taking any of the following medications because of their potential interaction with dextroamphetamine: MAO use currently or within 14 days prior to start of study, Furazolidone, Guanethidine, norepinephrine, sibutramine, tricyclic antidepressants, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.
  6. Patients taking the following medications because of their potential interaction with quetiapine: Carbamazepine, clozapine, lithium, thioridazine.
  7. History of CVA, or at significantly increased risk for CVA (e.g., atrial fibrillation, recent TIA etc.).
  8. Symptomatic cardiovascular disease (i.e., angina, claudication, TIAs, syncope), uncontrolled hyper or hypotension, or a tic disorder.
  9. Any medical contraindication to performing the procedures involved in the study including blood draws or lumbar puncture.
  10. We will require a woman of child-bearing age to have a pregnancy test prior to starting the study medications and to use contraception during the course of the study.
  11. Patients with a previous negative trial of a stimulant.
  12. Patients with a history of severe psychosis.
  13. Patients with a history of recent substance abuse.
  14. Patients with QTc prolongation on a baseline EKG.
  15. A score of 2 or less on the Communication Functional Ratings - Swallowing Domain.
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Study design

Enrollment
20 participants
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Study locations

1 site
  • National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike
    Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
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References and documents

Publications

  • Woods SW, Tesar GE, Murray GB, Cassem NH. Psychostimulant treatment of depressive disorders secondary to medical illness. J Clin Psychiatry. 1986 Jan;47(1):12-5. PubMed 3941052 ↗
  • Satel SL, Nelson JC. Stimulants in the treatment of depression: a critical overview. J Clin Psychiatry. 1989 Jul;50(7):241-9. PubMed 2567730 ↗
  • Galynker I, Ieronimo C, Miner C, Rosenblum J, Vilkas N, Rosenthal R. Methylphenidate treatment of negative symptoms in patients with dementia. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1997 Spring;9(2):231-9. doi: 10.1176/jnp.9.2.231. PubMed 9144102 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 2, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00088751
First posted
Aug 2, 2004
Start date
Jul 23, 2004
Completion
Jun 1, 2009
Last update
Jul 2, 2017
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2009. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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