NCT01836094

Brief Summary

The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether low-dose USP methylene blue (MB) will: i) improve short-term memory retention in a delayed match-to-sample task, ii) reduce reaction time in a psychomotor vigilance test, and iii) enhance responses to a visual-motor task as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A single low-dose MB or placebo will be orally administered to self-declared healthy adults using double-blind study design. Non-invasive fMRI data will be acquired before and after MB administration in the same subjects. Each study will take 2-3 hours, inclusive of an hour break in between.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
36

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for early_phase_1

Timeline
Completed

Started Aug 2013

Typical duration for early_phase_1

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

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 12, 2013

Completed
7 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 19, 2013

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

August 1, 2013

Completed
2.6 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

March 1, 2016

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

March 1, 2016

Completed
Last Updated

April 11, 2017

Status Verified

April 1, 2017

Enrollment Period

2.6 years

First QC Date

April 12, 2013

Last Update Submit

April 7, 2017

Conditions

Keywords

Methylene BlueMemoryMental FatigueBrain metabolismfMRIpsychomotor vigilance task (PVT)delayed match-to-sample memory taskPVTDMS

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Improvement in reaction time assessed by fMRI measurements and PVT measurements

    fMRI will be assessed using standard fMRI analysis tools. Psychomotor-Vigilance-Test (PVT) measurements will be made using a computer program written in Psychology Experiment Building Language (PBL).

    1 hour

  • Improvement in memory assessed by fMRI measurements and DMS measurements

    fMRI will be assessed using standard fMRI analysis tools. Delayed-match-to-sample task (DMS) measurements will be made using a computer program written in Psychology Experiment Building Language (PBL).

    1 hour

Secondary Outcomes (1)

  • Enhanced fMRI responses to visual-motor task

    1-2 hours

Study Arms (2)

Methylene Blue

EXPERIMENTAL

Methylene Blue, 280mg, oral, one time

Drug: Methylene Blue (USP grade, 280mg oral)

Placebo

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

FD\&C Blue No. 2 (food dye), oral, one time

Drug: Placebo

Interventions

Also known as: USP Methylene Blue, Phenothiazin-5-ium, 3, 7-bis (dimethylamino)-chloride, trihydrate
Methylene Blue

oral, one time

Also known as: FD&C Blue No. 2 (food dye)
Placebo

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 65 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Age 18 - 65 years, self declared healthy individuals
  • English speaker and be able to give consent

You may not qualify if:

  • Contraindication for MRI (pacemaker, metal implants, etc.)
  • Claustrophobia
  • Pregnant (child-bearing age females will be tested to exclude pregnancy onsite)
  • Breast-feeding
  • A history of hypersensitivity or allergy to methylene blue, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (determined via questionnaire)
  • Neurological, mental, or cardiovascular disorders
  • Liver, kidney disorders, kidney or liver transplant, hypertension, diabetes, etc.
  • Known hypersensitivity to thiazide diuretics and phenothiazines
  • A history of a psychotic disorder or panic disorder, violent or suicidal behavior, psychiatric institutionalization or imprisonment
  • Methemoglobinemia
  • On any psychiatric serotonergic antidepressant medication or drugs of abuse currently or within the last 5 weeks
  • History of panic attack
  • Color Blindness

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Research Imaging Institute, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas, 78229, United States

Location

Related Publications (6)

  • Riha PD, Bruchey AK, Echevarria DJ, Gonzalez-Lima F. Memory facilitation by methylene blue: dose-dependent effect on behavior and brain oxygen consumption. Eur J Pharmacol. 2005 Mar 28;511(2-3):151-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2005.02.001.

    PMID: 15792783BACKGROUND
  • Gonzalez-Lima F, Bruchey AK. Extinction memory improvement by the metabolic enhancer methylene blue. Learn Mem. 2004 Sep-Oct;11(5):633-40. doi: 10.1101/lm.82404.

    PMID: 15466319BACKGROUND
  • Wrubel KM, Riha PD, Maldonado MA, McCollum D, Gonzalez-Lima F. The brain metabolic enhancer methylene blue improves discrimination learning in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2007 Apr;86(4):712-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2007.02.018. Epub 2007 Mar 6.

    PMID: 17428524BACKGROUND
  • Wen Y, Li W, Poteet EC, Xie L, Tan C, Yan LJ, Ju X, Liu R, Qian H, Marvin MA, Goldberg MS, She H, Mao Z, Simpkins JW, Yang SH. Alternative mitochondrial electron transfer as a novel strategy for neuroprotection. J Biol Chem. 2011 May 6;286(18):16504-15. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.208447. Epub 2011 Mar 18.

    PMID: 21454572BACKGROUND
  • Lim J, Wu WC, Wang J, Detre JA, Dinges DF, Rao H. Imaging brain fatigue from sustained mental workload: an ASL perfusion study of the time-on-task effect. Neuroimage. 2010 Feb 15;49(4):3426-35. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.11.020. Epub 2009 Nov 24.

    PMID: 19925871BACKGROUND
  • Bruchey AK, Gonzalez-Lima F. Behavioral, Physiological and Biochemical Hormetic Responses to the Autoxidizable Dye Methylene Blue. Am J Pharmacol Toxicol. 2008 Jan 1;3(1):72-79. doi: 10.3844/ajptsp.2008.72.79.

    PMID: 20463863BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Mental Fatigue

Interventions

Methylene BlueIndigo Carmine

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

FatigueSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsBehavioral SymptomsBehavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PhenothiazinesSulfur CompoundsOrganic ChemicalsHeterocyclic Compounds, 3-RingHeterocyclic Compounds, Fused-RingHeterocyclic CompoundsIndolesHeterocyclic Compounds, 2-Ring

Study Officials

  • Timothy Q. Duong, Ph.D.

    The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
early phase 1
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
Purpose
BASIC SCIENCE
Intervention Model
SINGLE GROUP
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 12, 2013

First Posted

April 19, 2013

Study Start

August 1, 2013

Primary Completion

March 1, 2016

Study Completion

March 1, 2016

Last Updated

April 11, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-04

Locations