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CompletedNCT00254033Updated Apr 28, 2017

Apathy Associated With Alzheimer's Disease

A Phase 4 interventional study of Dextroamphetamine and Methylphenidate in Dementia and Alzheimer Disease, sponsored by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Open to participants aged 55 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-04-28.

Sponsored by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre · Phase 4, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
55 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

Apathy, or lack of motivation, affects up to 80% of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. These amotivational symptoms increase patient reliance on caregivers, increase caregiver burden and distress, and increase the risk of patient institutionalization. Only 50% of patients with apathy respond to current treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors. The mechanism of apathy in AD is unknown hampering rational treatment. Our proposed pilot study will provide initial data required to develop an amphetamine challenge paradigm to probe the brain reward system. These results will be used to develop a larger study evaluating the role of the brain reward system in apathy in AD and link this information with pharmacologic treatment. AD is a complex neurobiological illness that needs to be understood at several levels to optimize treatment. At a neurochemical level, one has to identify the neurotransmitter abnormalities that accompany the clinical symptoms. The neurochemical level of analysis provides the link between pathology and symptoms and, for now, is the only avenue for biological therapies. Next, one has to translate knowledge of neurochemical abnormalities to practical treatments for the symptoms of AD. This pilot will allow us to develop a study that can address both of these goals. Furthermore, the larger study will further define the emerging concept of apathy as a syndrome and has broader implications for apathy in many other neuropsychiatric diseases.

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Conditions studied

  • Dementia
  • Alzheimer Disease

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Keywords

  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Apathy
  • Brain Reward System
  • Dopamine
  • Dextroamphetamine Challenge
  • Methylphenidate
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In context

Alzheimer Disease

3,678 studies on the registry are indexed under Alzheimer Disease; 872 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 40 is below the median of 70 across 2,808 interventional studies indexed under Alzheimer Disease.

Browse Alzheimer Disease studies →

Lead sponsor

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is the lead sponsor of 566 studies on the registry; 134 are open to participants now.

Of its 6 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 2 (33%) have results posted.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
55 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • age > 55 years
  • meet DSM-IV criteria for primary degenerative dementia
  • meet NINCDS-ARDA criteria for probable Alzheimer's Disease of at least one year's duration
  • mild to moderate cognitive impairment (Global Deterioration Scale GDS \<6, Mini-Mental State Examination >10
  • on a stable dose of a cholinesterase inhibitor for at least 3 months
  • apathetic group only: Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Apathy subscale score >=2

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • abnormal biochemical screening: blood cell count, vitamin B12, thyroid function tests, and syphilis screening tests
  • significant medical illness or other medical/neurological conditions which diminish cognitive function
  • evidence of seizure disorder
  • an Hachinski ischemic score >3 indicating vascular dementia
  • a brain computed tomographic (CT) scan revealing focal lesions, or inconsistent with AD
  • electrocardiographic, laboratory or physical evidence of significant cardiovascular disease
  • presence of premorbid or current psychiatric diagnosis including: major depression, schizophrenia, psychotic symptoms of a severity likely to provoke violent or dangerous behaviour (i.e., command hallucinations to harm people or persecutory delusions that provoke violent reactions)
  • current or past psychoactive substance abuse or dependence (including alcohol, excluding nicotine)
  • contraindications to receiving dextroamphetamine or methylphenidate
  • have had administration of a depot neuroleptic injection within one treatment cycle of the first visit
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Study design

Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
Double
Enrollment
40 participants

Interventions

  • DrugDextroamphetamine
  • DrugMethylphenidate
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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Addiction Research Centre Inventory (ARCI)

  2. Apathy Evaluation Scale-Caregiver (AES-C)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Profile of Mood States (POMS)

  2. Continuous Performance Test (CPT)

  3. Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)

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Study locations

1 site
  • Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
    Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5, Canada
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References and documents

Publications

  • Lanctot KL, Herrmann N, Black SE, Ryan M, Rothenburg LS, Liu BA, Busto UE. Apathy associated with Alzheimer disease: use of dextroamphetamine challenge. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2008 Jul;16(7):551-7. doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e318170a6d1. PubMed 18591575 ↗
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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 28, 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
NCT00254033
Lead sponsor
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Collaborators
American Health Assistance Foundation
First posted
Nov 15, 2005
Start date
Oct 2003
Completion
Oct 2006
Last update
Apr 28, 2017

Study contacts

Krista L Lanctot, PhD
principal investigator · Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2017. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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