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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04489017

Palmitoylethanolamide Combined With Luteoline in Frontotemporal Dementia Patients. A Randomized Controlled Trial

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder. It is the second most frequent cause of presenile neurodegenerative dementia in those less than 65 years of age. Currently, there is no effective pharmacological treatment to slow down the progression of FTD. Recently, it has been proposed that neuroinflammation could be involved in specific forms of FTD and that novel drugs targeting neuroinflammation could potentially be useful in FTD treatment. An available form of ultra-micronized PEA combined with luteoline (PEA-LUT) has gained attention for its proven anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties reported in neurodegenerative conditions related to FTD, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The administration of PEA-LUT treatment may have a clinical impact in behavioural variant FTD (bv-FTD) patients. In particular, PEA-LUT treatment could be able to reduce behavioural disturbances, the more disabling symptoms in bv-FTD, with a related improvement of daily living activities of affected people. Moreover, a multimodal approach (cognitive/neurophysiological) can be used to assess the brain correlates related to the clinical improvement associated with PEA-LUT treatment, thus making remarkable strides in understanding how FTD affects the brain. Potentially the proposed project could provide a valid treatment for cognitive and behavioural dysfunction in FTD patients, with consistent impact for the National Health Systems and minimum cost for the patients.

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Key information

Age range

40 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Giacomo Koch, Rome, Italy

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • The patient has a diagnosis of probable Frontotemporal dementia behavioural variant (bv-FTD) based on the International consensus clinical diagnostic criteria described by Rascovsky et al., 2011.
  • The patient is a man or a woman, aged from 40 to 85 years.
  • The patient has a Clinical Dementia Rating-FTD (CDR-FTD) total score of ≤2 at Screening.
  • The patient has not been treated with acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI), i.e., donepezil, galantamine, or rivastigmine, at the time of screening.
  • The patient is able to comply with the study procedures in the view of the investigator.
  • Evidence of frontotemporal hypometabolism at PET imaging.
  • Evidence of amyloid markers excluding Alzheimer's disease (cerebrospinal fluid Abeta/Tau dosages or amyloid PET imaging).

Exclusion criteria

  • Significant neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system other than FTD e.g., Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, progressive supranuclear palsy, normal pressure hydrocephalus, Huntington's disease, any condition directly or indirectly caused by Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE), Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), or new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (nvCJD)
  • Significant intracranial focal or vascular pathology seen on brain MRI scan within a maximum of 6 months before Baseline leading to a diagnosis other than probable FTD.
  • The patients has history of seizure (with the exception of febrile seizures in childhood).
  • Metal implants in the head (except dental), pacemaker, cochlear implants, or any other non-removable items that are contraindications to MR imaging.
  • Treatment currently or within 3 months before Baseline with any of the following medications: Typical and Atypical antipsychotics (i.e., Clozapine, Olanzapine); Antiepileptics drugs (i.e., Carbamazepine, Primidone, Pregabalin, Gabapentin); Antidepressants (i.e., Citalopram, Duolxetine, Paroxetine).

Treatment and study plan

PEA-LUT

Dietary Supplement

PEA-LUT administration at the oral dosage of 700 mg x 2/day

Placebo

Dietary Supplement

PLACEBO administration at the oral dosage of 700 mg x 2/day

Primary outcomes

  1. Clinical Dementia Rating Scale- Frontotemporal dementia Sumo of Boxes (CDR-FTD-SOB)

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    Battery to evaluate global disease severity

Secondary outcomes

  1. Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB)

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    Battery to evaluate executive functions

  2. Screening for aphasia in Neurodegeneration (SAND)

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    battery to evaluate language functions

  3. Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study - Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL)

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    battery to evaluate activities of daily living

  4. Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    battery to evaluate global cognition

  5. Long intracortical inhibition (LICI)

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    TMS protocol to evaluate GABA(B)ergic transmission

  6. Sort intracortical inhibition (SICI)

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    TMS protocol to evaluate GABA(B)ergic transmission

  7. TMS-EEG

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    power in beta-gamma band to evaluate prefrontal cortical oscillatory activity

  8. Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    Battery to assess behavioral changes

  9. Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R)

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    Battery to evaluate global cognition changes

  10. Frontal Behavioural Inventory

    Time frame: 24 weeks

    Battery to evaluate behavioural functions

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

I.R.C.C.S. Fondazione Santa Lucia

Other

Registry information

Acronym: PEA-FTD

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2023
First posted
Jul 28, 2020
Registry last updated
Nov 7, 2024

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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