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Sleep Apnea, ObstructivePhase 2DESOSANCT02436031

Effect of Desipramine on Upper Airway Collapsibility and Genioglossus Muscle Activity in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Study B

A Phase 2 study testing Desipramine in people with Sleep Apnea, Obstructive, run by Brigham and Women's Hospital at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common and has major health implications but treatment options are limited. OSA patients show a marked reduction in upper airway (UA) dilator muscle activity at sleep onset and this phenomenon leads to increased collapsibility of UA compared to normal participants. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 years
Conditions the study is for
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive
What is being tested?
Desipramine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
16 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Apr 2015to Mar 2016
Phase
Phase 2
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 65 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Diagnosed OSA (moderate-to-severe; apnea hypopnea index >15 events/hr)

Who cannot join

  • Cardiovascular disease other than well controlled hypertension
  • Depression

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Sleep Disorders Research Program Brigham and Women's Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: The Effect of Desipramine on Upper Airway Collapsibility and Genioglossus Muscle Activity During Sleep in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Study B

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common and has major health implications but treatment options are limited. OSA patients show a marked reduction in upper airway (UA) dilator muscle activity at sleep onset and this phenomenon leads to increased collapsibility of UA compared to normal participants. Until recently, the search for medicines to activate pharyngeal muscles in sleeping humans has been discouraging. However, exciting new animal research has shown that drugs with noradrenergic and antimuscarinic effects can restore pharyngeal muscle activity to waking levels. In this protocol the investigators will test the effect of desipramine (a tricyclic antidepressant with strong noradrenergic and antimuscarinic effects) on upper airway collapsibility and genioglossus muscle activity (EMG GG) during sleep in OSA patients.

Read the detailed description

Two overnight sleep studies, a placebo night and a drug night, will be performed approximately one week apart in random order. The placebo or drug will be administered 2 hours before lights out. At least 15 minutes of quiet wakefulness will be recorded to quantify the participant's EMG GG activity while awake and at sleep onset (alpha-theta transition at the electroencephalogram).

During the second part of the night, the participants will be connected to a modified continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine (Pcrit3000, Respironics) which can provide a wide range of pressures between 20 and -20 cmH2O in order to modify upper airway pressure and measure pharyngeal critical collapsing pressure (Pcrit), ventilation at 0 cmH2O when UA muscle are passive and active as well as change in EMG GG as a function of epiglottic pressure (muscle responsiveness).

Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) will be calculated in each night from the part of the study off CPAP.

Being tested
Desipramine, Placebo
Medical subject headings
Sleep Apnea, Obstructive

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • DesipramineDrug

    Also called Norpramine

    200 mg administered 2 hours before normal sleep time

  • PlaceboDrug

    Placebo-matching desipramine administered 2 hours before normal sleep time

Study groups in NCT02436031
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Desipramine First, Placebo SecondActive comparatorDesipramine 200 mg administered 2 hours before normal sleep time on first study night, then a 1-week non-treatment period, then placebo-matching desipramine administered 2 hours before normal sleep time on second study night.
Receives: Drug: Desipramine; Drug: Placebo
Placebo First, Desipramine SecondExperimentalPlacebo-matching desipramine administered 2 hours before normal sleep time on first study night, then a 1-week non-treatment period, then desipramine administered 2 hours before normal sleep time on second study night.
Receives: Drug: Desipramine; Drug: Placebo

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in Pharyngeal Critical Collapsing Pressure (Pcrit) as a Measure of Upper Airway Collapsibility

    Participants were connected to a modified continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine (Pcrit3000, Respironics) which provided a wide range of pressures between 20 and -20 cm H2O in order to modify upper airway pressure. Following a baseline recording period of 5 minutes, the CPAP level was reduced to varying suboptimal pressures. Change in Pcrit was used to determine the collapsibility of the upper airway under both passive and active conditions, and is expressed as Passive Pcrit: ventilation at a nasal pressure of 0 cm H2O when pharyngeal muscles are passive; Active Pcrit: ventilation at a nasal pressure of 0 cm H2O when pharyngeal muscles are active. Improved=more negative Pcrit.

    Measured: 1 night

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Genioglossus Muscle Responsiveness to Progressively Greater Epiglottic Pressure Swings

    Electromyography (EMG) was used to analyze genioglossus (GG) [EMG GG] muscle activity. EMG GG activity was recorded via standard needle electrodes inserted into the genioglossus muscle (tongue). Activity of EMG GG was measured during wakefulness and sleep as % of maximum activation obtained pushing the tongue against closed teeth during wakefulness (GG%max). Participants were connected to a modified continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine (Pcrit3000, Respironics) which provided a wide range of pressures between 20 and -20 cm H2O in order to modify upper airway pressure and measure change in EMG GG as a function of epiglottic pressure (muscle responsiveness) (%max/cmH2O).

    Measured: 1 night

  2. Number of Apnoea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) Events During Non-Random Eye Movement (NREM) Sleep

    The AHI is the number of apneas (pauses in breathing) or hypopneas (shallow breathing) recorded during the study per hour of sleep. Data for the calculation of the AHI was collected while the participant was in NREM sleep in the supine position and off CPAP (breathing spontaneously).

    Measured: 1 night

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 May 2015 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2015
  3. Primary completionDec 2015
  4. Study completionMar 2016

Resources

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 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator
Enrolment
16 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02436031
Sponsor's protocol ID
BWH-2014P001033B
Acronym
DESOSA
Status last verified
Feb 2017
First submitted
1 May 2015
Last updated
30 Mar 2017
Data monitoring committee
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Desipramine in people with Sleep Apnea, Obstructive, run by Brigham and Women's Hospital 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 30 Mar 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 30 Mar 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?

Change in Pharyngeal Critical Collapsing Pressure (Pcrit) as a Measure of Upper Airway Collapsibility (time frame: 1 night). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 30 Mar 2017.

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