An interventional study of Dronabinol and Ethanol in Intoxication Alcohol, Intoxication THC and Intoxication Combined Alcohol THC, sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 55 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-07-28.
Sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
This study will assess effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and THC + alcohol in marijuana users on prefrontal brain activity, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during resting state and during memory task performance. Participants will complete fNIRS testing 120 minutes following THC or identical placebo (Phase 2A), or THC/ethanol, THC/placebo ethanol, placebo THC/ethanol, and placebo THC/placebo ethanol (Phase 2B), and oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentration will be measured.
This study will assess the effects of THC intoxication using dronabinol (synthetic THC) on the oxyhemoglobin (HbO) signal during resting state and task-based activation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and resting state connectivity, as well as on neurocognitive task performance and correlations between these measurements and clinical signs of intoxication. Participants will be 150 adults who use marijuana at least monthly (aged 18-55) will be recruited to participate in this study. Participants will be given up to 80 mg of dronabinol, an FDA-approved synthetic form of THC that is used to treat loss of appetite that causes weight loss in people with AIDS. THC is the principle psychoactive drug in marijuana. The study will be conducted in regular cannabis users who present at their first study visit with a positive urine screen for THC metabolites.
Phase 2A. Investigate the effect of THC on fNIRS brain signature and its association with self-reported intoxication, laboratory measures of impairment, and the gold-standard behavioral field test of driving impairment used by law enforcement, the primary classifier.
Phase 2B. Examine potential interaction following co-administration of THC with oral ethanol exposure in healthy volunteers. Phase II is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2 by 2 crossover study of effect of dronabinol, ethanol, and combined dronabinol and ethanol on brain activation and connectivity as measured by fNIRS.
76 studies on the registry are indexed under Alcoholic Intoxication; 17 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 316 is above the median of 135 across 62 interventional studies indexed under Alcoholic Intoxication.
Browse Alcoholic Intoxication studies →Massachusetts General Hospital is the lead sponsor of 2,586 studies on the registry; 447 are open to participants now.
Of its 222 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 168 (76%) have results posted.
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Regular, at least monthly, marijuana use, confirmed by positive urine screen for THC
Additional Inclusion Criteria For Phase 2B:
Exclusion Criteria:
General (Phase 2A, 2B 3)
In the opinion of the investigator, not able to safely participate in this study.
Additional Exclusion Criteria For Phase 2B:
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.
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
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.
Hepatitis C tests
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.
After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
HIV
The human immunodeficiency virus, which weakens the immune system.
Many studies now accept people whose HIV is controlled on treatment, judged by the viral load and the CD4 count. Check the limits this study sets.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
In a double-blind placebo-controlled, random order cross-over study of single dose dronabinol, participants received dronabinol or identical placebo on two separate study visits in randomized order.
Drug: Dronabinol · Drug: Placebo dronabinol
In a randomized, double-blind, 4-treatment, 4-period, crossover study with THC or placebo administration and ethanol or placebo administration, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 sequences and received each of the following treatments: placebo dronabinol + placebo ethanol, placebo dronabinol + ethanol, dronabinol + placebo ethanol, \& dronabinol + ethanol.
Drug: Dronabinol · Drug: Ethanol · Drug: Placebo dronabinol · Drug: Placebo ethanol
Dronabinol at physician determined doses of 10-80mg designed to produce intoxication.
Also known as: oral THC
Oral Ethanol, dosed to obtain a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) of approximately 0.05 BrAC (equal to 1-2 standard drinks).
Also known as: oral ethanol
Identical in appearance to active dronabinol (overencapsulation of both active and placebo dronabinol)
Also known as: placebo oral THC
Placebo ethanol will consist of diet soda used in the active ethanol condition with 0.25ml ethanol floated on top to provide the odor of ethanol and blind the study drug.
Also known as: oral placebo ethanol
Change in Concentration of Oxygenated Hemoglobin Between Pre-drug and Post-drug Scans of Patients Completing the N-back Task.
Subjects completed the N-back task before and after receiving a combination of active dronabinol or placebo dronabinol and active ethanol or placebo ethanol. During the task, the fNIRS device was used to capture change in concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin to assess prefrontal brain activity. Outcomes reflect average change from baseline in HbO concentration over pre-dose scan and average change from baseline in HbO concentration over post-dose scan (expected peak intoxication).
Time frame: The first Nback scan session was run before dosing (t ≈ -35min). Drug was administered (t = 0min). The second Nback scan session was run at the time of expected peak pharmacokinetic effect (t ≈ 100min). Each scan session was six minutes in duration.
Change in Concentration of Oxygenated Hemoglobin Between Pre-drug and Post-drug Scans During Resting State.
Subjects completed resting-state fNIRS scans before and after receiving a combination of active dronabinol or placebo dronabinol and active ethanol or placebo ethanol. During the task, the fNIRS device was used to capture concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin to assess prefrontal brain activity. Outcomes reflect average change from baseline in HbO concentration over pre-dose scan and average change from baseline in HbO concentration over post-dose scan (expected peak intoxication).
Time frame: The first resting-state scan session was run before dosing (t ≈ -45min). Drug was administered (t = 0min). The second resting-state scan session was run at the time of expected peak high (t ≈ 90min). Each scan session was six minutes in duration.
Participants were recruited by study staff at the MGH Center for Addiction Medicine through advertising by email, web and bulletin board announcements posted within the local site network community.
| Milestone | Phase 2A: AB | Phase 2A: BA | Phase 2B: CDEF | Phase 2B: CDFE | Phase 2B: CEDF | Phase 2B: CEFD | Phase 2B: CFDE | Phase 2B: CFED | Phase 2B: DCEF | Phase 2B: DCFE | Phase 2B: DECF | Phase 2B: DEFC | Phase 2B: DFCE | Phase 2B: DFEC | Phase 2B: ECDF | Phase 2B: ECFD | Phase 2B: EDCF | Phase 2B: EDFC | Phase 2B: EFCD | Phase 2B: EFDC | Phase 2B: FCDE | Phase 2B: FCED | Phase 2B: FDCE | Phase 2B: FDEC | Phase 2B: FECD | Phase 2B: FEDC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Started | 70 | 68 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Completed | 60 | 56 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Not completed | 10 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Withdrew: Physician decision | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Withdrew: Lost to follow-up | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Subjects completed the N-back task before and after receiving a combination of active dronabinol or placebo dronabinol and active ethanol or placebo ethanol. During the task, the fNIRS device was used to capture change in concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin to assess prefrontal brain activity. Outcomes reflect average change from baseline in HbO concentration over pre-dose scan and average change from baseline in HbO concentration over post-dose scan (expected peak intoxication).
| Δ mol/L | Phase 2A: Dronabinol Only | Phase 2A: Placebo Dronabinol Only | Phase 2B: Dronabinol and Ethanol | Phase 2B: Dronabinol and Placebo Ethanol | Phase 2B: Placebo Dronabinol and Ethanol | Phase 2B: Placebo Dronabinol and Placebo Ethanol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predose | 0.00000000042 ± 0.00000011109 | -0.00000000126 ± 0.00000012928 | -0.00000000271 ± 0.00000015932 | -0.00000000114 ± 0.00000015048 | -0.00000000151 ± 0.00000009318 | -0.00000000219 ± 0.00000012507 |
| Peak | 0.00000000013 ± 0.00000010190 | 0.00000000029 ± 0.00000012394 | -0.00000000041 ± 0.00000010552 | -0.00000000020 ± 0.00000012457 | -0.00000000018 ± 0.00000009089 | 0.00000000070 ± 0.00000011546 |
Subjects completed resting-state fNIRS scans before and after receiving a combination of active dronabinol or placebo dronabinol and active ethanol or placebo ethanol. During the task, the fNIRS device was used to capture concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin to assess prefrontal brain activity. Outcomes reflect average change from baseline in HbO concentration over pre-dose scan and average change from baseline in HbO concentration over post-dose scan (expected peak intoxication).
| Δ mol/L | Phase 2A: Dronabinol Only | Phase 2A: Placebo Dronabinol Only | Phase 2B: Dronabinol and Ethanol | Phase 2B: Dronabinol and Placebo Ethanol | Phase 2B: Placebo Dronabinol and Ethanol | Phase 2B: Placebo Dronabinol and Placebo Ethanol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predose | -0.00000000056 ± 0.00000014233 | 0.00000000009 ± 0.00000011881 | 0.00000000198 ± 0.00000010153 | 0.00000000021 ± 0.00000015753 | 0.00000000144 ± 0.00000017047 | -0.00000000051 ± 0.00000011795 |
| Peak | -0.00000000043 ± 0.00000010544 | 0.00000000115 ± 0.00000014174 | 0.00000000025 ± 0.00000008717 | 0.00000000190 ± 0.00000013848 | 0.00000000195 ± 0.00000011273 | -0.00000000014 ± 0.00000008289 |
Collected over Participant enrollment to study completion, an average of 3 weeks for Phase 2A and 6 weeks for Phase 2B. Non-serious events are listed at a 5% frequency threshold.
| Group | Deaths | Serious | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 2A: Dronabinol Only | 0/128 (0%) | 0/128 (0%) | 13/128 (10.2%) |
| Phase 2A: Placebo Dronabinol Only | 0/126 (0%) | 0/126 (0%) | 6/126 (4.8%) |
| Phase 2B: Dronabinol and Ethanol | 0/39 (0%) | 0/39 (0%) | 7/39 (17.9%) |
| Phase 2B: Dronabinol and Placebo Ethanol | 0/39 (0%) | 0/39 (0%) | 12/39 (30.8%) |
| Phase 2B: Placebo Dronabinol and Ethanol | 0/32 (0%) | 0/32 (0%) | 3/32 (9.4%) |
| Phase 2B: Placebo Dronabinol and Placebo Ethanol | 0/38 (0%) | 0/38 (0%) | 4/38 (10.5%) |
| Event | Phase 2A: Dronabinol Only | Phase 2A: Placebo Dronabinol Only | Phase 2B: Dronabinol and Ethanol | Phase 2B: Dronabinol and Placebo Ethanol | Phase 2B: Placebo Dronabinol and Ethanol | Phase 2B: Placebo Dronabinol and Placebo Ethanol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnxietyPsychiatric disorders | 5/128 | 2/126 | 3/39 | 4/39 | 0/32 | 0/38 |
| TachycardiaCardiac disorders | 1/128 | 0/126 | 1/39 | 4/39 | 0/32 | 1/38 |
| VomitingGastrointestinal disorders | 2/128 | 2/126 | 1/39 | 3/39 | 1/32 | 1/38 |
| ColdInfections and infestations | 5/128 | 2/126 | 2/39 | 1/39 | 2/32 | 2/38 |
| Age, Categorical(Participants) | Phase 2A - Total Sample | Phase 2B - Total Sample | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| <=18 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Between 18 and 65 years | 138 | 52 | 190 |
| >=65 years | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Age, Continuous(years) | Phase 2A - Total Sample | Phase 2B - Total Sample | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 24.9 ± 6.49 | 25.6 ± 5.16 | 25.1 ± 6.15 |
| Sex: Female, Male(Participants) | Phase 2A - Total Sample | Phase 2B - Total Sample | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 67 | 27 | 94 |
| Male | 71 | 25 | 96 |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Phase 2A - Total Sample | Phase 2B - Total Sample | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 28 | 10 | 38 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 107 | 41 | 148 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants) | Phase 2A - Total Sample | Phase 2B - Total Sample | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Asian | 11 | 2 | 13 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black or African American | 16 | 6 | 22 |
| White | 93 | 36 | 129 |
| More than one race | 12 | 4 | 16 |
| Unknown or Not Reported | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Region of Enrollment(participants) | Phase 2A - Total Sample | Phase 2B - Total Sample | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 138 | 52 | 190 |
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data (IPD) will not be available
Ran from Nov 2018 to primary completion in Jan 2021, 26 months.
Results were first posted in Jul 2022, 1 year 6 months after primary completion.
Of 29 interventional studies with no phase under Alcoholic Intoxication, half reached primary completion within 40 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 12 and three quarters within 58. This study's 26 months is below that.
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Studies of the drug tested here: Dronabinol
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