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Healthy ParticipantsNCT03863691

Influence of Dopaminergic Blockade on Stress Responses, Motivation and Emotional Reactivity in Humans.

A study testing Amisulpride 300 MG in people with Healthy Participants, run by Philipps University Marburg at 1 site in Germany.

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

The study aims to identify whether partial blockade of human dopamine signaling with antipsychotic drugs affects human stress responses, motivation and emotion. 84 healthy adult participants are planned to complete the study protocol. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 40 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Healthy Participants
What is being tested?
Amisulpride 300 MG
Type of treatment
Pill or oral medicine
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
85 participants
Where
1 siteGermany
Study dates
15 Apr 2019to 15 Jul 2020
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

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 40 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Common European Framework of Reference for Languages level B2 in German language.
  • Consent ability for all relevant aspects of the experiment.

Who cannot join

  • Amisulpride allergy.
  • Allergy to other components of amisulpride / placebo capsules like lactose.
  • Daily intake of other medication including contraceptives.
  • Tendency to seizures.
  • Diagnosis of cancer especially pheochromocytoma, prolactinoma, or breast cancer.
  • Kidney dysfunction: creatinine clearance below 10 ml per minute.
Show all 12Show fewer
  • High risk for stroke or thrombosis.
  • Known prolongation of the QT interval,
  • Any substantial medical condition that is capable of reducing the volunteers ability to participate at the study.
  • Suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts in the past or at present.
  • Substantial mental disorders especially schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, drug abuse, or personality disorders.
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Germany1 site
  • Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Gutenbergstr. 18

    Marburg, Hesse, 35037

Other trials in Germany

About this study

Official title: Influence of Partial Blockade of Dopaminergic Neurotransmission Using Amisulpride on Stress Responsivity, Motivated Behavior and Emotional Reactivity in Humans.

The study aims to identify whether partial blockade of human dopamine signaling with antipsychotic drugs affects human stress responses, motivation and emotion. 84 healthy adult participants are planned to complete the study protocol.

Therefore three experiments are planned:

Experiment 1: Influence of amisulpride on human stress responses. Experiment 2: Influence of amisulpride on motivated effort. Experiment 3: Influence of amisulpride on emotion.

Read the detailed description

The study is a double blind, placebo controlled, randomized trial with two groups. One group will be receiving placebo (PG) and the other group will receive 300 mg amisulpride (VG). All participants are planned to complete all three experiments sequentially after drug/placebo intake.

In experiment 1 we want to test whether a medium single dosage of amisulpride (VG) changes human stress responses compared to the PG. Therefore test subjects take the medication / placebo and wait for peak plasma levels. Afterwards they undergo a standardized stress test (MAST procedure,e.g. Shilton et al., 2017) where they submerge their non-dominant hand in cold water and have to do mental arithmetic tasks. We collect ECG, cortisol and skin conductance data as well as subjective measures of the stress response.

In experiment 2 that is done after completion of experiment 1 the aim is testing whether the VG compared to the PG has an altered motivated effort. Therefore so called effort based paradigms (Reddy et al., 2015) are used. In these paradigms participants are given the option between an easy and effortless way of solving a trial that is reinforced with a small monetary reward or a harder and effortful way of trial solving that is rewarded higher. We measure how often the VG versus the PG will take the easy, low reward option over the hard, high reward option.

In experiment 3 and after the completion of experiment to the aim is it to test whether the mean intensity of visually evoked emotions in the VG is changed compared to the PG. Therefore we use a stimulus set (15 positive images, 15 negative images, 15 neutral images) out of the International Affective Picture System images to evoke emotions and plan to analyze data like in positivity offset research (detailed description in: Strauss et al, 2017).

Being tested
Amisulpride 300 MG, Placebo oral capsule
Keywords
dopamine antagonists, dopamine blockade, psychophysiological stress response, Maastricht acute stress test (MAST), effort based paradigms, positivity offset theory, international affective picture system (IAPS)

What participants receive

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

  • Amisulpride 300 MGDrug

    A single dose of 300 mg amisulpride that looks identical to placebo control capsules.

  • Placebo oral capsuleDrug

    A placebo capsule with no inert pharmacological effect. Looks identical to the amisulpride capsules.

Study groups in NCT03863691
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
amisulpride groupActive comparator300 mg of the atypical antipsychotic drug amisulpride
Receives: Drug: Amisulpride 300 MG
placebo groupPlacebo comparatorSimilar looking capsules for placebo control
Receives: Drug: Placebo oral capsule

What is being measured

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

  1. Change in Perceived stress level from baseline to post stress period.

    Before and after the stress test of experiment 1 we ask every participant for their perceived stress level. These data serve as an indicator of subjective stress responses. We analyze changes in subjective stress level compared to baseline measurements (76 min and 22 min before). Five minutes before the stress test starts we measure subjective anticipatory stress response and directly after the completion we measure post stressor responses and possible residual feelings of stress (16 minutes post completion).

    All measurements reflect a single time series. Stress levels are obtained with visual analogue scales ranging from 0 (no stress) to 100 points (extremely stressed).

    Measured: After preparation period. Before (76 min before, 22 min before, 5min before) and after the stress test (directly after, 16 min as well as 30 min after completion).

  2. Percentage of difficult trials in the balloon effort task.

    In experiment 2 which is a computer task, participants can choose between an easy task with low monetary reinforcement or a hard task with higher monetary reinforcement. "Easy" means that there is a low amount of physical or cognitive effort per trial and "hard" means that there is a higher amount of physical or cognitive effort per trial. From the tasks that are described in Reddy et al (2015) the balloon effort task (physical effort) and the deck choice task (mental effort) will be used. For both tasks our software automatically obtains the percentage of difficult trials with respect to the total number of trials. Note that only a single composite score is obtained after finishing the balloon effort task.

    Measured: After the cortisol response of experiment 1 is subsided and directly when experiment is 2 is completely finished. This will be approximately 121 minutes after medication / placebo intake.

  3. Percentage of difficult trials in the deck choice task.

    In experiment 2 which is a computer task, participants can choose between an easy task with low monetary reinforcement or a hard task with higher monetary reinforcement. "Easy" means that there is a low amount of physical or cognitive effort per trial and "hard" means that there is a higher amount of physical or cognitive effort per trial. From the tasks that are described in Reddy et al (2015) the balloon effort task (physical effort) and the deck choice task (mental effort) will be used. For both tasks our software automatically obtains the percentage of difficult trials with respect to the total number of trials. Note that only a single composite score is obtained after finishing the deck choice effort task.

    Measured: After finishing the balloon effort task. This will be approximately 145 minutes after medication / placebo intake.

  4. Mean positive affect ratings in response to International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images.

    Valence and arousal measures are collected as in Strauss et al. (2017) after presentation of IAPS pictures during experiment 3. Ratings for positive affect, negative affect and arousal ratings are obtained with a 10 point self-assessment manikin scale after the presentation of each individual picture. Note that only a single composite score for positive affect is calculated as the mean value of all evaluations following the individual pictures.

    Measured: After experiment 3 is finished. This will be approximately 216 minutes after medication / placebo intake.

  5. Mean negative affect ratings in response to International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images.

    Valence and arousal measures are collected as in Strauss et al. (2017) after presentation of IAPS pictures during experiment 3. Ratings for positive affect, negative affect and arousal ratings are obtained with a 10 point self-assessment manikin scale. Note that only a single composite score for negative affect is calculated as the mean value of all evaluations following the individual pictures.

    Measured: After experiment 3 is finished. This will be approximately 216 minutes after medication / placebo intake.

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Saliva cortisol levels.

    Before and at three time points after the stress test is completed of experiment 1 we take saliva cortisol samples of each participant. These samples are analysed for cortisol levels and serve as an indicator of Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity.

    Cortisol levels are measured in nmol/liter.

    Measured: After preparation period. Before (62 min before, 2 min before) and after the stress test (5, 15 and 25 min after completion).

  2. Heart rate changes and changes in heart rate variability.

    Before, during and after the stress test of experiment 1 we use blood volume pulse measures for obtaining heart rate data and calculate heart rate change scores and heart rate variability scores (HRV). These data serve as an indicator of cardiovascular stress responses.

    Heart rate changes are measured in Δ1/s. Changes in heart rate variability is normalized for heart rate change because higher HR during stress exposure could induce a mathematical bias. Data that will be obtained include the low frequency band and the high frequency / low frequency ratio. A short introduction into the topic can be found in Billmann et al (2015).

    Measured: After preparation period. Before (68 min before, 49 min before), during (the whole procedure) and after (directly after completion) the stress test.

  3. Mean arousal ratings in response to International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images.

    Valence and arousal measures are collected as in Strauss et al. (2017) after presentation of IAPS pictures during experiment 3. Ratings for positive affect, negative affect and arousal ratings are obtained with a 10 point self-assessment manikin scale. Note that only a single composite score for negative affect is calculated as the mean value of all evaluations following the individual pictures.

    Measured: After experiment 3 is finished. This will be approximately 216 minutes after medication / placebo intake.

Timeline

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

  1. First posted5 Mar 2019
  2. Study start15 Apr 2019
  3. Primary completion15 Jul 2020
  4. Study completion15 Jul 2020

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator
Enrolment
85 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03863691
Sponsor's protocol ID
III/sja/kno FF96/2018
Status last verified
Sep 2020
First submitted
22 Feb 2019
Last updated
21 Sep 2020
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Billman GE, Huikuri HV, Sacha J, Trimmel K. An introduction to heart rate variability: methodological considerations and clinical applications. Front Physiol. 2015 Feb 25;6:55. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2015.00055. eCollection 2015. No abstract available.

    PubMed 25762937
  • Horan WP, Reddy LF, Barch DM, Buchanan RW, Dunayevich E, Gold JM, Marder SR, Wynn JK, Young JW, Green MF. Effort-Based Decision-Making Paradigms for Clinical Trials in Schizophrenia: Part 2-External Validity and Correlates. Schizophr Bull. 2015 Sep;41(5):1055-65. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbv090. Epub 2015 Jul 23.

    PubMed 26209546
  • Reddy LF, Horan WP, Barch DM, Buchanan RW, Dunayevich E, Gold JM, Lyons N, Marder SR, Treadway MT, Wynn JK, Young JW, Green MF. Effort-Based Decision-Making Paradigms for Clinical Trials in Schizophrenia: Part 1-Psychometric Characteristics of 5 Paradigms. Schizophr Bull. 2015 Sep;41(5):1045-54. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbv089. Epub 2015 Jul 3.

    PubMed 26142081
  • Shilton AL, Laycock R, Crewther SG. The Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST): Physiological and Subjective Responses in Anticipation, and Post-stress. Front Psychol. 2017 Apr 19;8:567. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00567. eCollection 2017.

    PubMed 28469586
  • Strauss GP, Frost KH, Lee BG, Gold JM. THE POSITIVITY OFFSET THEORY OF ANHEDONIA IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. Clin Psychol Sci. 2017 Mar;5(2):226-238. doi: 10.1177/2167702616674989. Epub 2017 Mar 10.

    PubMed 28497008

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Amisulpride 300 MG in people with Healthy Participants, run by Philipps University Marburg at 1 site in Germany.

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 2 inclusion and 12 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 21 Sep 2020. 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 Germany. 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. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. 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?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

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 Perceived stress level from baseline to post stress period. (time frame: After preparation period. Before (76 min before, 22 min before, 5min before) and after the stress test (directly after, 16 min as well as 30 min after completion).). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. 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 NCT03863691, which also lists 5 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 21 Sep 2020.

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