Effect of Tetrabenazine on Stroop Interference in HD

Tetrabenazine has been shown to improve gating of abnormal visual stimuli and improve postural stability in Huntington disease (HD) patients as measured by computerized dynamic posturography testing. This study aims to elucidate whether partial dopaminergic depletion via low dose tetrabenazine has a similar effect on masking out of abnormal visual stimuli on the Stroop interference test.

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Key information

Conditions

Huntington Disease Basal Ganglia Diseases Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Chorea Cognition Disorders Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities Dementia Dyskinesias Genetic Diseases, Inborn Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System Mental Disorders Movement Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurocognitive Disorders Neurodegenerative Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 4

Primary location

Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center

New York, 10029, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Established diagnosis of Huntington disease by movement disorders expert
Patients currently taking tetrabenazine.
Patients should not have taken dopamine receptor blocking medication for at least three days

Exclusion criteria

Treatment and study plan

Tetrabenazine withdrawal

Drug

Tetrabenazine will be withdrawn for at least 3 days in Huntington disease patients currently on the drug. Patients will be examined via Stroop test in the OFF state. Two doses of 12.5 mg tetrabenazine will be introduced, spaced 3 hours apart. Stroop test will be performed 6 hours after initial OFF Stroop test.

Primary outcomes

Change in Stroop Interference Score

Time frame: 72 hours

Participants will have Stroop Visual Interference Scores measured while OFF tetrabenazine for at least 3 days. Two doses of 12.5 mg tetrabenazine will be subsequently administered: first dose just after the Stroop test and second dose 3 hours later. Stroop Visual Interference Scores will be measured again in the ON state, 6 hours after the initial OFF measurement.

Patients are analyzed according to Stroop test using Golden's Interference score (theoretical min -50, theoretical max about 98) calculated from [(W × C)/(W + C)] - CW, where C=color score (0-100), W=word score (0-100), CW=color word score (0-100). The Interference score analyzes cognitive interference during trials of reading of a list of color words which are printed in a different color. Lower or more negative scores are clinically better as they indicate less interference.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

New York Medical College

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effect of Tetrabenazine on Stroop Interference in Huntington Disease

Important dates

Study start: 2013
Primary completion: 2018
Study completion: 2018
First posted: Apr 18, 2013
Registry last updated: May 28, 2025

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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed