Substance-Related DisordersNCT01006707
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Opioid Withdrawal in Healthy Human Volunteers
A study testing Ondansetron in people with Substance-Related Disorders, run by Stanford University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Opioid medications are commonly used for pain relief. When given over time, physical dependence can occur. This results in unpleasant side effects--such as agitation and nausea--if opioid medications are suddenly stopped. However, we do not know how withdrawal affects the brain. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 35 years, men onlyHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Substance-Related Disorders
- What is being tested?
- Ondansetron
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 15 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Nov 2010to Jul 2013
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 35 years
- Men only
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Patients will be healthy male volunteers, ages 18-35.
Who cannot join
- Females were excluded due to menstrual cycle modulation of opioid response.
- We will exclude individuals with Raynaud's disease or a history of coronary artery disease.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, California, 94305
About this study
Official title: fMRI Imaging of Opioid Withdrawal in Healthy Human Volunteers
Opioid medications are commonly used for pain relief. When given over time, physical dependence can occur. This results in unpleasant side effects--such as agitation and nausea--if opioid medications are suddenly stopped. However, we do not know how withdrawal affects the brain. We know that a medication named Ondansetron can help ease or prevent symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal. Through imaging of the brain by fMRI, we hope to see how opioid withdrawal, with and without the administration of ondansetron, affects brain activity.
Read the detailed description
During the study, each participant attended three separate lab-based acute opioid withdrawal sessions. The first session was undertaken in a mock MRI scanner and was designed to determine if participants could tolerate withdrawal in the scanning environment. Participants who were able to successfully and safely tolerate opioid withdrawal while in the scanner were approved to continue with the following study sessions. Participants were then pretreated intravenously (IV) with either 0.9% normal saline placebo or 8mg ondansetron. Later, participants in all sessions received IV naloxone (10mg/70kg) to precipitate opioid withdrawal. Participants were assigned to ondansetron or placebo pretreatment conditions in a randomized, double-blinded, and counter-balanced order. Objective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (OOWS) and Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) were assessed throughout the study to quantify withdrawal. Study timeline progressed as follows: T=-165, 8mg ondansetron or placebo infusion, T=-135, Morphine infusion (10mg/70kg), T=-41 preparation for MRI, T=-21, start MRI, T=-13, baseline OOWS/SOWS, T=-9, start of fMRI, T=0 Naloxone induced withdrawal, T=5, OOWS, T=15, OOWS, T=20, Retrospective OOWS.
- Conditions
- Substance-Related Disorders
- Being tested
- Ondansetron
- Medical subject headings
- Substance-Related Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
OndansetronDrug
Also called Zofran
In this cross-over study, the blinded patient will receive saline placebo in one session and ondansetron in the other. The order is decided with a randomization table. If ondansetron is randomly chosen, an 8mg IV Bolus will be given at the start of the study for 30 minutes by the unblinded investigator.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Ondansetron, then Placebo | Other | Some participants received ondansetron pretreatment during the second session, and then placebo during the third session. Receives: Drug: Ondansetron |
| Placebo, then Ondansetron | Other | Some participants received placebo pretreatment during the second session, and then ondansetron pretreatment during the third session. Receives: Drug: Ondansetron |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Brain Regions With Increases or Decreases in Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) Associated With Ondansetron Administration
Changes are reporting using Spearman's correlation coefficient, using within-subject factors of time (pre-naloxone, post-naloxone) and pre-treatment (placebo, ondansetron). Changes in Objective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (OOWS) and Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) with correlation coefficient >0.45 are reported. The OOWS consists of 13 observable physical symptoms assessed over a 5-minute observation period and scored as present (score of 1) or absent (score of 0). The total OOWS scores is determined by summing the scores of the 13 items. OOWS scores can range from 0 to 13; lower scores correspond to fewer symptoms. SOWS consists of 16 physical and emotional symptoms rated by the participant on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely), to indicate the extent to which the symptom describes how they are feeling at the time. The total SOWS score is determined by summing the scores of the 16 items. Scores range from 0 to 64; lower scores correspond to fewer symptoms.
Measured: 36 minutes
Secondary outcomes (3)
Objective Opioid Withdrawal Scale Score 5 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
The OOWS consists of 13 observable physical symptoms that are assessed over a five-minute observation period and scored as present (score of 1) or absent (score of 0). The total OOWS scores is determined by summing the scores of the 13 items. OOWS scores can range from a low of 0 to a high of 13. A score of 0 would suggest that no objective signs of withdrawal were observed while a score of 13 would suggest that every observable sign of withdrawal was observed.
Measured: 5 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
Objective Opioid Withdrawal Scale Score 15 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
The OOWS consists of 13 observable physical symptoms that are assessed over a five-minute observation period and scored as present (score of 1) or absent (score of 0). The total OOWS scores is determined by summing the scores of the 13 items. OOWS scores can range from a low of 0 to a high of 13. A score of 0 would suggest that no objective signs of withdrawal were observed while a score of 13 would suggest that every observable sign of withdrawal was observed.
Measured: 15 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) Score 20 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
The SOWS consists of 16 physical and emotional symptoms that are rated by the participant on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely), to indicate the extent to which the symptom describes how they are feeling at the time. The total SOWS score is determined by summing the scores of the 16 items. Scores range from a low of 0 to a high of 64. A score of 0 would suggest that the individual is experiencing no symptoms of withdrawal while a score of 64 would suggest that the individual is experiencing all 16 symptoms of withdrawal to the fullest extent possible.
Measured: 20 minutes following Ondansetron or Placebo administration
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted3 Nov 2009 (estimated)
- Study startNov 2010
- Primary completionJul 2013
- Study completionJul 2013
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Publications (9)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Substance-Related DisordersStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Stanford UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Stanford University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Larry Fu-nien Chu, Stanford University
- Investigators
- Dr Larry Fu-nien Chu, Principal investigator, Stanford University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01006707
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- SU-10212009-4200
- Status last verified
- Oct 2017
- First submitted
- 30 Oct 2009
- Last updated
- 17 Nov 2017
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Compton P, Miotto K, Elashoff D. Precipitated opioid withdrawal across acute physical dependence induction methods. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2004 Feb;77(2):263-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2003.10.017.
PubMed 14751453Compton P, Athanasos P, Elashoff D. Withdrawal hyperalgesia after acute opioid physical dependence in nonaddicted humans: a preliminary study. J Pain. 2003 Nov;4(9):511-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2003.08.003.
PubMed 14636819Stein EA, Pankiewicz J, Harsch HH, Cho JK, Fuller SA, Hoffmann RG, Hawkins M, Rao SM, Bandettini PA, Bloom AS. Nicotine-induced limbic cortical activation in the human brain: a functional MRI study. Am J Psychiatry. 1998 Aug;155(8):1009-15. doi: 10.1176/ajp.155.8.1009.
PubMed 9699686Krystal JH, Woods SW, Kosten TR, Rosen MI, Seibyl JP, van Dyck CC, Price LH, Zubal IG, Hoffer PB, Charney DS. Opiate dependence and withdrawal: preliminary assessment using single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT). Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 1995 Feb;21(1):47-63. doi: 10.3109/00952999509095229.
PubMed 7762544Williams TM, Daglish MR, Lingford-Hughes A, Taylor LG, Hammers A, Brooks DJ, Grasby P, Myles JS, Nutt DJ. Brain opioid receptor binding in early abstinence from opioid dependence: positron emission tomography study. Br J Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;191:63-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.031120.
PubMed 17602127Hui SC, Sevilla EL, Ogle CW. Prevention by the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, ondansetron, of morphine-dependence and tolerance in the rat. Br J Pharmacol. 1996 Jun;118(4):1044-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1996.tb15504.x.
PubMed 8799580Pinelli A, Trivulzio S, Tomasoni L. Effects of ondansetron administration on opioid withdrawal syndrome observed in rats. Eur J Pharmacol. 1997 Dec 11;340(2-3):111-9. doi: 10.1016/s0014-2999(97)01349-6.
PubMed 9537805Lowe AS, Williams SC, Symms MR, Stolerman IP, Shoaib M. Functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging of drug dependence: naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal. Neuroimage. 2002 Oct;17(2):902-10.
PubMed 12377164Chu LF, Lin JC, Clemenson A, Encisco E, Sun J, Hoang D, Alva H, Erlendson M, Clark JD, Younger JW. Acute opioid withdrawal is associated with increased neural activity in reward-processing centers in healthy men: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015 Aug 1;153:314-22. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.04.019. Epub 2015 May 27.
PubMed 26059463
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Nov 2017. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- fMRI Imaging of Opioid Withdrawal in Healthy Human Volunteers
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01006707
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SU-10212009-4200
- Conditions
- Substance-Related Disorders
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 15 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Stanford UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Nov 2010
- Primary completion
- Jul 2013 (actual)
- Study completion
- Jul 2013 (actual)
- First posted
- 3 Nov 2009 (estimated)
- Results
- Posted 17 Nov 2017
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Opioid medications are commonly used for pain relief. When given over time, physical dependence can occur. This results in unpleasant side effects--such as agitation and nausea--if opioid medications are suddenly stopped. However, we do not know how withdrawal affects the brain. We know that a medication named Ondansetron can help ease or prevent symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal. Through imaging of the brain by fMRI, we hope to see how opioid withdrawal, with and without the administration of ondansetron, affects brain activity.
Detailed description
During the study, each participant attended three separate lab-based acute opioid withdrawal sessions. The first session was undertaken in a mock MRI scanner and was designed to determine if participants could tolerate withdrawal in the scanning environment. Participants who were able to successfully and safely tolerate opioid withdrawal while in the scanner were approved to continue with the following study sessions. Participants were then pretreated intravenously (IV) with either 0.9% normal saline placebo or 8mg ondansetron. Later, participants in all sessions received IV naloxone (10mg/70kg) to precipitate opioid withdrawal. Participants were assigned to ondansetron or placebo pretreatment conditions in a randomized, double-blinded, and counter-balanced order. Objective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (OOWS) and Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) were assessed throughout the study to quantify withdrawal. Study timeline progressed as follows: T=-165, 8mg ondansetron or placebo infusion, T=-135, Morphine infusion (10mg/70kg), T=-41 preparation for MRI, T=-21, start MRI, T=-13, baseline OOWS/SOWS, T=-9, start of fMRI, T=0 Naloxone induced withdrawal, T=5, OOWS, T=15, OOWS, T=20, Retrospective OOWS.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Triple blind (participant, care provider, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Ondansetron, then Placebo | Other | Drug: OndansetronSome participants received ondansetron pretreatment during the second session, and then placebo during the third session. |
| Placebo, then Ondansetron | Other | Drug: OndansetronSome participants received placebo pretreatment during the second session, and then ondansetron pretreatment during the third session. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 35 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Patients will be healthy male volunteers, ages 18-35.
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Females were excluded due to menstrual cycle modulation of opioid response.
- We will exclude individuals with Raynaud's disease or a history of coronary artery disease.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| OndansetronAlso: ZofranIn this cross-over study, the blinded patient will receive saline placebo in one session and ondansetron in the other. The order is decided with a randomization table. If ondansetron is randomly chosen, an 8mg IV Bolus will be given at the start of the study for 30 minutes by the unblinded investigator. | Drug | Ondansetron, then Placebo, Placebo, then Ondansetron |
Primary outcome
Brain Regions With Increases or Decreases in Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) Associated With Ondansetron Administration
Time frame: 36 minutes
Changes are reporting using Spearman's correlation coefficient, using within-subject factors of time (pre-naloxone, post-naloxone) and pre-treatment (placebo, ondansetron). Changes in Objective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (OOWS) and Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) with correlation coefficient >0.45 are reported. The OOWS consists of 13 observable physical symptoms assessed over a 5-minute observation period and scored as present (score of 1) or absent (score of 0). The total OOWS scores is determined by summing the scores of the 13 items. OOWS scores can range from 0 to 13; lower scores correspond to fewer symptoms. SOWS consists of 16 physical and emotional symptoms rated by the participant on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely), to indicate the extent to which the symptom describes how they are feeling at the time. The total SOWS score is determined by summing the scores of the 16 items. Scores range from 0 to 64; lower scores correspond to fewer symptoms.
3 secondary outcomes
Objective Opioid Withdrawal Scale Score 5 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
Time frame: 5 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
Objective Opioid Withdrawal Scale Score 15 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
Time frame: 15 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
Subjective Opioid Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) Score 20 Minutes Following Ondansetron or Placebo Administration
Time frame: 20 minutes following Ondansetron or Placebo administration
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Nov 2017.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
- Background: PubMed 14751453Compton P, Miotto K, Elashoff D. Precipitated opioid withdrawal across acute physical dependence induction methods. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2004 Feb;77(2):263-8. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2003.10.017.
- Background: PubMed 14636819Compton P, Athanasos P, Elashoff D. Withdrawal hyperalgesia after acute opioid physical dependence in nonaddicted humans: a preliminary study. J Pain. 2003 Nov;4(9):511-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2003.08.003.
- Background: PubMed 9699686Stein EA, Pankiewicz J, Harsch HH, Cho JK, Fuller SA, Hoffmann RG, Hawkins M, Rao SM, Bandettini PA, Bloom AS. Nicotine-induced limbic cortical activation in the human brain: a functional MRI study. Am J Psychiatry. 1998 Aug;155(8):1009-15. doi: 10.1176/ajp.155.8.1009.
- Background: PubMed 7762544Krystal JH, Woods SW, Kosten TR, Rosen MI, Seibyl JP, van Dyck CC, Price LH, Zubal IG, Hoffer PB, Charney DS. Opiate dependence and withdrawal: preliminary assessment using single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT). Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 1995 Feb;21(1):47-63. doi: 10.3109/00952999509095229.
- Background: PubMed 17602127Williams TM, Daglish MR, Lingford-Hughes A, Taylor LG, Hammers A, Brooks DJ, Grasby P, Myles JS, Nutt DJ. Brain opioid receptor binding in early abstinence from opioid dependence: positron emission tomography study. Br J Psychiatry. 2007 Jul;191:63-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.031120.
- Background: PubMed 8799580Hui SC, Sevilla EL, Ogle CW. Prevention by the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, ondansetron, of morphine-dependence and tolerance in the rat. Br J Pharmacol. 1996 Jun;118(4):1044-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1996.tb15504.x.
- Background: PubMed 9537805Pinelli A, Trivulzio S, Tomasoni L. Effects of ondansetron administration on opioid withdrawal syndrome observed in rats. Eur J Pharmacol. 1997 Dec 11;340(2-3):111-9. doi: 10.1016/s0014-2999(97)01349-6.
- Background: PubMed 12377164Lowe AS, Williams SC, Symms MR, Stolerman IP, Shoaib M. Functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging of drug dependence: naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal. Neuroimage. 2002 Oct;17(2):902-10.
- Results publication: PubMed 26059463Chu LF, Lin JC, Clemenson A, Encisco E, Sun J, Hoang D, Alva H, Erlendson M, Clark JD, Younger JW. Acute opioid withdrawal is associated with increased neural activity in reward-processing centers in healthy men: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2015 Aug 1;153:314-22. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.04.019. Epub 2015 May 27.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Dr Larry Fu-nien Chu principal investigator
Stanford University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Ondansetron in people with Substance-Related Disorders, run by Stanford University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Nov 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 17 Nov 2017). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Brain Regions With Increases or Decreases in Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) Associated With Ondansetron Administration (time frame: 36 minutes). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01006707, which also lists 9 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Nov 2017.