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Completed

NCT Number: NCT00779324

Amantadine for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury Irritability and Aggression: A Multi-site Study

The purpose of this study is to study the effect of amantadine on irritability and aggression caused by traumatic brain injury.

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Key information

Conditions

Brain Injury Aberrant Motor Behavior in Dementia Aggression Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Brain Diseases Brain Injuries Brain Injuries, Traumatic Central Nervous System Diseases Craniocerebral Trauma Nervous System Diseases Social Behavior Trauma, Nervous System Wounds and Injuries

Age range

16 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Indiana University and the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

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About this study

PURPOSE OF PROJECT: To study the effect of amantadine 100 mg administered twice daily compared to placebo on irritability from baseline to treatment Day 28.

SUMMARY OF PROJECT: It is anticipated that 168 subjects with 168 corresponding subject informants will be recruited for the study. Carolinas Rehabilitation, the lead center, and 5 collaborating centers will enroll approximately 28 subjects each.

Subjects will be recruited primarily from the clinics. Also, letters will be sent to patients in our data base. If the first encounter with research personnel is by telephone, the research assistant will obtain verbal (telephone) consent from the subject's informant for the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) for subject irritability. The score on this questionnaire must be ≥ 6 for qualification. This allows pre-screening to take place and avoid an unnecessary clinic visit.

Subjects who consent and qualify will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio, amantadine to placebo. Stratification to randomization group will occur based on the presence of depression defined by a Beck's Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) score ≥ 13. Randomized subjects will receive amantadine or placebo 100 mg twice daily every morning and 12 Noon. There will be 4 clinic visits. Visits will occur at baseline, for consenting and screening, day 28, day 60 and day 90. At all 4 clinic visits, both the subject and the informant will be given questionnaires regarding the subject's behavior and mood. Follow up phone calls will occur each week that the subject is not seen in the clinic until the end of the study. Follow up phone calls will assess for study medication compliance, adverse events and concomitant medication changes. Day 60 ends the period of the Randomized Clinical Trial phase of the study and the subjects will begin the 1 month continuation phase of the study when all participants receive active amantadine.

The following questionnaires will be used as measures of irritability for the subject and the informant: Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2), and Global Impression of Change.

The following questionnaires will be dispensed to the subject only: Short Form -12, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Brief Symptom Inventory, Family Assessment Device, Fatigue Impact Scale, and tests of cognitive function. The Glasgow Outcome Score-Extended will be completed by the research assistant using information obtained primarily from the informant.

The Investigator will complete the Clinical Global Impression of change at Visits 1, 2, 3, and 4.

History and Physical Exam, creatinine level (kidney function) will be obtained for safety and tolerability. Serum pregnancy tests will be drawn at screening for females of childbearing potential.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Closed head injury (defined as impaired brain function resulting from externally inflicted trauma without penetrating injury) at least 6 months prior to enrollment
  • Irritability that is either new or worse than the level of irritability before the traumatic brain injury, by report of the Observer or person with TBI
  • Age at time of enrollment: 16 to 75 years
  • Voluntary informed consent and authorization of participant and informant
  • Subject and informant willing to comply with the protocol
  • Informant-rated NPI Irritability Domain score 6 or greater (moderate-to-severe irritability)
  • Medically and neurologically stable during the month prior to enrollment
  • If taking antidepressant, anxiolytic, hypnotic, or stimulant medications, no change anticipated in these medications during the month prior to enrollment or during the 90-day participation
  • No change in therapies or medications planned during the 90-day participation
  • No surgeries planned during the 90-day participation
  • Vision, hearing, speech, motor function, and comprehension sufficient to complete interviews
  • Observer (e.g.: family member, close friend, employer) with whom subject interacts sufficiently to observe occurrences of irritability. The observer interacts with the participant for a period long enough and of a nature to be able to judge the participant's irritability. The interactions would need to be adequate to judge observer distress over the irritability, severity of irritability and frequency of irritability on the following scale: < once weekly; once per week; several times per week, but not every day; essentially continuous.

Exclusion criteria

  • Previous participation in the Carolinas TBI Model System amantadine irritability study
  • Ingestion of amantadine hydrochloride during the month prior to enrollment
  • Potential subject without a reliable informant
  • Penetrating head injury as defined by head injury due to gunshot, projectile or foreign object
  • Injury < 6 months prior to enrollment
  • Inability to interact sufficiently for communication with caregiver
  • Clinical signs of active infection
  • Diagnosis of seizure in the month prior to enrollment
  • Creatinine clearance <60 mL/min
  • Pregnancy (Beta-HCG + females of child-bearing potential) and lactating females
  • Concurrent use of first generation neuroleptic agents or phenelzine
  • History of schizophrenia or psychosis
  • Active concern of schizophrenia or psychosis
  • Diagnosis of progressive or additional neurologic disease that affects brain function, except stroke that occurs at th same time as the TBI
  • Previous allergy or adverse reaction to amantadine hydrochloride

Treatment and study plan

amantadine hydrochloride

Drug

100 mg every morning and noon

Other names: Symmetrel

Placebo

Drug

one placebo tablet every morning and 12 Noon

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportion of Participants With >2-point Increase on Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Irritability Domain Rated by Observer Day 28

    Time frame: Day 28

    The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a 40-item rating scale developed to assess 12 behavioral domains. Only the NPI-Irritability (NPI-I) domain was used for this study. NPI-I measures irritability with items including: bad temper, rapid mood changes, sudden anger, impatience, crankiness, argumentative. The rater selects the frequency (1-3) and severity (1-4) of the most problematic of these behavioral aspect(s) over the preceding month. The NPI score is the product of the frequency and severity for the NPI most problematic item score. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants with greater than two-point increase on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability domain. The total range is 1 (least irritability) - 12 (worst irritability).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Irritability Domain Assessed by Observer Day 28

    Time frame: Day 28

    The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a 40-item rating scale developed to assess 12 behavioral domains. Only the NPI-Irritability (NPI-I) domain was used for this study. NPI-I measures irritability with items including: bad temper, rapid mood changes, sudden anger, impatience, crankiness, argumentative. The rater selects the frequency (1-3) and severity (1-4) of the most problematic of these behavioral aspect(s) over the preceding month. The NPI score is the product of the frequency and severity for the NPI most problematic item score. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants with greater than two-point increase on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability domain. The total range is 1 (least irritability) - 12 (worst irritability).

  2. Proportion of Participants With >2-point Increase on Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Irritability Domain Rated by Participant Day 28

    Time frame: Day 28

    The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a 40-item rating scale developed to assess 12 behavioral domains. Only the NPI-Irritability (NPI-I) domain was used for this study. NPI-I measures irritability with items including: bad temper, rapid mood changes, sudden anger, impatience, crankiness, argumentative. The rater selects the frequency (1-3) and severity (1-4) of the most problematic of these behavioral aspect(s) over the preceding month. The NPI score is the product of the frequency and severity for the NPI most problematic item score. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants with greater than two-point increase on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability domain. The total range is 1 (least irritability) - 12 (worst irritability).

  3. Change in Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Irritability Domain Assessed by Participants Day 28

    Time frame: Day 28

    The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a 40-item rating scale developed to assess 12 behavioral domains. Only the NPI-Irritability (NPI-I) domain was used for this study. NPI-I measures irritability with items including: bad temper, rapid mood changes, sudden anger, impatience, crankiness, argumentative. The rater selects the frequency (1-3) and severity (1-4) of the most problematic of these behavioral aspect(s) over the preceding month. The NPI score is the product of the frequency and severity for the NPI most problematic item score. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants with greater than two-point increase on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability domain. The total range is 1 (least irritability) - 12 (worst irritability).

  4. Clinical Global Impressions Day 28

    Time frame: 28 Days

    Study physician's impression of change since study onset. Clinicians Global Impressions of Change (CGI) is a sensitive, standardized tool to assess psychopharmacologic treatment response completed by the study physician. The Global Improvement (GI) CGI subscale documented the clinician's impression of change. The GI uses a 7-point scale to assess beneficial and negative effects. Low GI values (1 -3) indicate improvement; higher values (4-7) represent worsening.

  5. Proportion of Participants With >2-point Increase on Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability Domain Rated by Observers Day 60

    Time frame: 60 days

    As described above for the primary measure, assessed as a secondary measure at Day 60. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a 40-item rating scale developed to assess 12 behavioral domains. Only the NPI-Irritability (NPI-I) domain was used for this study. NPI-I measures irritability with items including: bad temper, rapid mood changes, sudden anger, impatience, crankiness, argumentative. The rater selects the frequency (1-3) and severity (1-4) of the most problematic of these behavioral aspect(s) over the preceding month. The NPI score is the product of the frequency and severity for the NPI most problematic item score. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants with greater than two-point increase on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability domain. The total range is 1 (least irritability) - 12 (worst irritability).

  6. Proportion of Participants With >2-point Increase on Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Irritability Domain Rated by Participant Day 60

    Time frame: Day 60

    The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a 40-item rating scale developed to assess 12 behavioral domains. Only the NPI-Irritability (NPI-I) domain was used for this study. NPI-I measures irritability with items including: bad temper, rapid mood changes, sudden anger, impatience, crankiness, argumentative. The rater selects the frequency (1-3) and severity (1-4) of the most problematic of these behavioral aspect(s) over the preceding month. The NPI score is the product of the frequency and severity for the NPI most problematic item score. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants with greater than two-point increase on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability domain. The total range is 1 (least irritability) - 12 (worst irritability).

  7. Change in Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Irritability Domain Assessed by Observers Day 60

    Time frame: Day 60

    The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a 40-item rating scale developed to assess 12 behavioral domains. Only the NPI-Irritability (NPI-I) domain was used for this study. NPI-I measures irritability with items including: bad temper, rapid mood changes, sudden anger, impatience, crankiness, argumentative. The rater selects the frequency (1-3) and severity (1-4) of the most problematic of these behavioral aspect(s) over the preceding month. The NPI score is the product of the frequency and severity for the NPI most problematic item score. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants with greater than two-point increase on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability domain. The total range is 1 (least irritability) - 12 (worst irritability).

  8. Change in Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Irritability Domain Assessed by Participants Day 60

    Time frame: Day 60

    The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a 40-item rating scale developed to assess 12 behavioral domains. Only the NPI-Irritability (NPI-I) domain was used for this study. NPI-I measures irritability with items including: bad temper, rapid mood changes, sudden anger, impatience, crankiness, argumentative. The rater selects the frequency (1-3) and severity (1-4) of the most problematic of these behavioral aspect(s) over the preceding month. The NPI score is the product of the frequency and severity for the NPI most problematic item score. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants with greater than two-point increase on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Irritability domain. The total range is 1 (least irritability) - 12 (worst irritability).

  9. Clinical Global Impressions Day 60

    Time frame: 60 days

    Study physician's impression of change since study onset. Clinicians Global Impressions of Change (CGI) is a sensitive, standardized tool to assess psychopharmacologic treatment response completed by the study physician. The Global Improvement (GI) CGI subscale documented the clinician's impression of change. The GI uses a 7-point scale to assess beneficial and negative effects. Low GI values (1 -3) indicate improvement; higher values (4-7) represent worsening.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Other

Collaborators

  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • Indiana University
  • Ohio State University
  • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
  • The Institute for Rehabilitaion and Research Foundation
  • University of Washington

Registry information

Official study title

A Multi-Center, Parallel-Group, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Amantadine Hydrochloride in the Treatment of Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury Irritability and Aggression: A Replication Study

Important dates

Study start
2009
Primary completion
2013
Study completion
2013
First posted
Oct 24, 2008
Registry last updated
Jul 12, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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