NCT01038245

Brief Summary

Background: \- Central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are primary targets for the action of nicotine. In addition to being involved in tobacco dependence, they are also involved in a variety of brain disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Researchers are interested in developing better ways to study the action of nAChRs to improve treatments for smoking cessation and other problems affected by these receptors. These new study methods may involve different approaches to positron emission tomography (PET) scanning, which can show brain activity related to nAChRs. Objectives: \- To evaluate appropriate and useful doses of radiotracers used in PET scanning of nAChRs in the brains of nonsmokers/former smokers, light smokers, and heavy smokers. Eligibility: \- Individuals between 18 and 50 years of age who fall into one of the following groups: (1) nonsmokers or former smokers who have not smoked for the past 2 years, (2) light/situational smokers, or (3) heavy smokers (at least 15 cigarettes/day for the past 2 years). Design:

  • Each participant will undergo up to three PET studies, given approximately1 month apart. Each study will take approximately 8 hours to complete.
  • Participants will provide urine and breath samples before the study and at the start of the study, which will be tested for chemicals that may interfere with the study.
  • Depending on the study, some of the smoking participants may receive a nicotine patch to wear during the PET scan.
  • On the day of the study, participants will receive a dose of a radiotracer (a drug used in PET scanning) given either as a single injection or as an injection followed by a continuous infusion, and will have a series of PET scans over the next 7 hours and provide blood samples during that time.
  • Participants will return for a follow-up visit 1 month after the end of the study.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
72

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for all trials

Timeline
Completed

Started Jul 2003

Longer than P75 for all trials

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

July 8, 2003

Completed
6.5 years until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 19, 2009

Completed
4 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

December 23, 2009

Completed
1.9 years until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

November 18, 2011

Completed
Last Updated

July 2, 2017

Status Verified

November 18, 2011

First QC Date

December 19, 2009

Last Update Submit

June 30, 2017

Conditions

Keywords

Receptor Up-RegulationSmokingNicotineNeuroimaging

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 50 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Age: Subjects will be male and female volunteers aged 18 to 50 years.
  • All subjects must have a stable point of contact and must agree to participate in three PET studies at approximately 4-week intervals.
  • All participants in the light or heavy smoker groups must have smoking experience. Those in the heavy smoker group must smoke at least 15 cigarettes/day and have smoked for at least the last 2 consecutive years. Those participants in the light smoker group should be situational smokers (those who often smoke while consuming alcohol or in another type of situation, but who do not smoke daily). Light smokers should have not smoked more than 1 cigarette in the week before starting the medical screening process and agree to not smoke for the week before the first PET study (except for the single cigarette we ask them to smoke). Participants in the heavy smoker group should have experience with abstaining from smoking for at least 48 h. Subjects in the control group must be nonsmokers or have ceased smoking at least two years before the start of the study.

You may not qualify if:

  • Weight: Anyone weighing more than 300 lbs is excluded from the study.
  • Psychiatric disease: DSM-IV criteria will be used (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). No subject with a current axis I diagnosis will be allowed. No subject with known claustrophobia will be allowed.
  • History of Drug Abuse: Volunteers reporting current or having a significant history of illicit drug abuse (single illicit substance use of more than 30 times in a lifetime for any given substance, except marijuana) will be excluded from the study. However, if the use was greater than 10 times in a lifetime, it must have occurred more than 10 years before enrollment in this protocol. Subjects may use moderate amounts of alcohol and caffeine and smoke an occasional marijuana cigarette. Moderate alcohol use will be defined as less than fourteen drinks of liquor (1.5 oz) or the equivalent beer (12 oz) or wine (5 oz) per week. Moderate caffeine use will be defined as less than 500 mg of caffeine per day, where 100 mg is equivalent to 1 serving of coffee (5 oz serving), 2.5 servings (12 oz serving) of caffeinated soft drinks, or 2.5 servings of tea (5 oz serving). Occasional marijuana use will be defined as less than or equal to two marijuana cigarettes/month.
  • Current Medication Use: Volunteers may not currently use chronic (daily or for more than 10/14 days in the last month) prescription or over the counter medications, (including, but not limited to, anti-hypertensive, anti-allergy, pain).
  • CNS disease: History of known structural brain abnormalities (e.g., neoplasm, subarachnoid cysts), cerebrovascular disease, infectious disease (e.g., abscess), history of head trauma (defined as documented loss of consciousness \> 5 min or injury requiring hospitalization), history of seizures as an adult, sleep apnea.
  • Cardiovascular, pulmonary, or systemic disease: Repeated (measured on three separate occasions) diastolic blood pressure \> 90 mm Hg, or systolic blood pressure \> 150 mm Hg, known arrhythmia, symptomatic or known coronary artery disease; history of endocarditis, cerebral embolism, obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, active tuberculosis, known endocrine disease (derangements in adrenal, thyroid, bone or reproductive function) known chronic renal or hepatic dysfunction, known HIV seropositive, known current autoimmune disease involving the CNS, type I diabetes mellitus, current gastrointestinal disease, gastritis or ulcers.
  • Special considerations for female subjects. Female participants who are currently pregnant or nursing will not be allowed to participate in this study because of potential damage to the fetus or baby from the radiation. Female subjects will be given a serum pregnancy test (quantitative beta HCG) within 24 hours of each PET study.
  • Radiation exposure: Any subject who has participated in any research studies in which he/she received a radiation exposure that would result in combination with the present study, in a total effective radiation exposure (from research studies) exceeding 3.0 rem in a 13-week period or 5.0 rem in a year.
  • Women who are pregnant or lactating and children under the age of 18 will be excluded to avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation to these populations.
  • Presence in body of metallic implants or materials that could be moved by the magnet of the MRI scanner: pacemakers, surgical implants, aneurysm clips, dental braces, bullet(s) or other metallic materials.
  • Novocain allergy.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

National Institute on Drug Abuse, Biomedical Research Center (BRC)

Baltimore, Maryland, 21224, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Tobacco Use DisorderSmoking

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Substance-Related DisordersChemically-Induced DisordersMental DisordersBehavior

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Sponsor Type
NIH

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 19, 2009

First Posted

December 23, 2009

Study Start

July 8, 2003

Study Completion

November 18, 2011

Last Updated

July 2, 2017

Record last verified: 2011-11-18

Locations