An interventional study of Sertraline in Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder and Social Phobia, sponsored by New York State Psychiatric Institute. Terminated at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 8 Years to 25 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-10-11.
Sponsored by New York State Psychiatric Institute · Not applicable, Interventional, and Diagnostic
1 out of 8 children, adolescents, and young adults suffer from an anxiety disorder. Studies over the past decade show that selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of medication that treats anxiety in adults, also works well in young adults, children, and adolescents with anxiety disorders, but only for about 50%. 50% will have undergone treatment for several months before it will be established that the medication is not working to treat the anxiety. The purpose of this study is to find a test that will predict treatment outcome from the beginning based on behavioral and biological measures.
Current evidence based psychiatric treatment for child, adolescent, and young adult anxiety disorders involves a trial and error process. Pediatric psychiatrists start with the first line treatments (i.e. SSRI or psychotherapy), which requires from 4-8 weeks to work. There is a long interval between treatment initiation and response with only 50 to 60% likelihood that the treatment chosen will succeed in reducing anxiety symptoms. The science that will enable us to predict who will respond to medication treatment does not exist. Studies have demonstrated a correlation between cellular markers in white blood cells and psychiatric disorders suggesting that certain genes may also change their expression in peripheral cells in response to treatment of psychiatric disorders. Several studies report a significant decrease in expression of key genes that are involved in the pathophysiology of anxiety and depression in the brain, such as BDNF, CREB and HDAC5 levels in leukocytes of people with mood and anxiety disorders. The levels of BDNF, HDAC5 and CREB in white blood cells then respond to treatment and match that of controls after treatment with SSRIs. The increased accessibility to sequencing technology allows us to survey many more potential biomarkers than what was possible just several years ago. This may enable us to formulate a test that will predict, based on biocellular markers, treatment outcome in anxiety disorders for children, adolescents, and young adults before the onset of treatment. By finding molecular markers that can predict treatment success from the onset, the investigators can improve treatment outcomes considerably compared to current standard treatment practices. This kind of personalized medicine is the future of psychiatry.
517 studies on the registry are indexed under Generalized Anxiety Disorder; 124 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 14 is below the median of 83 across 439 interventional studies indexed under Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Browse Generalized Anxiety Disorder studies →New York State Psychiatric Institute is the lead sponsor of 435 studies on the registry; 27 are open to participants now.
Of its 51 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 45 (88%) have results posted.
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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.
Participants aged 8-25 years inclusive at the time of the consent/assent, either outpatient or inpatient if hospitalization is required for one of the following reasons:
Participants who are female of (defined as ≥9 years of age or if \<9 years of age are post-menarchal) must have a negative urine pregnancy test at the Baseline Visit. Females of child-bearing potential must abstain from sexual activity that could result in pregnancy or agree to use acceptable methods of . Condoms should be used with the following acceptable contraceptives:
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Clinically significant
Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hypersensitivity
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Sertraline will be administered PO to treat anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. he following dosing schedules will be used: Sertraline will be titrated from 25mg once a day orally up to 200mg once a day orally, for 12 weeks. The titration will stop at the dose in which the participant shows a full response to the medication or experiences side effects that will inhibit titration.
Drug: Sertraline
There will be no intervention in this arm.
Sertraline will be administered to treat anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.
Also known as: Zoloft
Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Score
The CGI-I score at the final visit will determine treatment response. The CGI-Improvement scale comprises a one-item measures evaluating the following change from the initiation of treatment on a seven-point scale. The following one query is rated on a seven-point scale: "Compared to the patient's condition at admission to the project \[prior to medication initiation\], this patient's condition is: 1=very much improved since the initiation of treatment; 2=much improved; 3=minimally improved; 4=no change from baseline (the initiation of treatment); 5=minimally worse; 6= much worse; 7=very much worse since the initiation of treatment. CGI-I scale of 1-2 is considered response to treatment. Anything below that is considered non-response to sertraline treatment.
Time frame: Final visit, at 12 weeks of treatment
| Milestone | Sertraline | Healthy Control |
|---|---|---|
| Started | 13 | 1 |
| Completed | 7 | 1 |
| Not completed | 6 | 0 |
The CGI-I score at the final visit will determine treatment response. The CGI-Improvement scale comprises a one-item measures evaluating the following change from the initiation of treatment on a seven-point scale. The following one query is rated on a seven-point scale: "Compared to the patient's condition at admission to the project \[prior to medication initiation\], this patient's condition is: 1=very much improved since the initiation of treatment; 2=much improved; 3=minimally improved; 4=no change from baseline (the initiation of treatment); 5=minimally worse; 6= much worse; 7=very much worse since the initiation of treatment. CGI-I scale of 1-2 is considered response to treatment. Anything below that is considered non-response to sertraline treatment.
| units on a scale | Sertraline Responders | Sertraline Non-Responders |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Score | 1.00 ± 1.40 | 3.66 ± 2.12 |
Collected over Adverse event data was collected for 12 weeks during the duration the patients were receiving medications. Only participants who were treated and healthy controls were monitored/assessed for adverse events.. Non-serious events are listed at a 5% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sertraline | 0/8 (0%) | 0/8 (0%) | 0/8 (0%) |
| Healthy Control | 0/1 (0%) | 0/1 (0%) | 0/1 (0%) |
| Age, Categorical(Participants) | Sertraline | Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| <=18 years | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Between 18 and 65 years | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| >=65 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Sertraline | Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Male | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Sertraline | Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asian | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black or African American | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| White | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| More than one race | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Region of Enrollment(participants) | Sertraline | Control | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 13 | 1 | 14 |
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Plan to share: No
Ran from Jul 2014 to primary completion in Dec 2019, 65 months.
Results were first posted in Oct 2021, 1 year 10 months after primary completion. A results delay was requested in Feb 2021.
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This study is terminated, as verified in Sep 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Sertraline
Generalized Anxiety Disorder →
New York State Psychiatric Institute →