None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Our research project focuses on illusions known or thought to be experienced differently by people with schizophrenia (mental disorder characterised by delusions, hallucinations, paranoia and aberrant thought and language). These illusions include some auditory (Deutsch’s Phantoms Words), some tactile (Tactile Funnelling), and some that involve both, such as auditory and visual (the McGurk Effect), or visual and tactile (the Rubber and Projected Hand illusion). These illusions are of interest because they reveal how the nervous system works, and from the basis of how we experience the world around us. One way to understand these mechanisms is to administer to healthy volunteers a drug, nabilone, that may change these functions, and to measure these changes. We are also interested in whether or not caffeine may alter these illusions. We aim to determine if these drugs alter these illusions, similar to alterations in the illusions observed in those with certain psychiatric conditions, and similar to how another drug has been shown to alter them.
Interventions
Study 1: caffeine 200 mg capsule taken orally twice in one day by mouth separated by 3 hours on one day, and placebo (glucose powder in capsule, taken orally twice in one day) on the other day, in pseudo-randomised counterbalanced order across participants. Primary purpose to determine if caffeine would be an adequate active placebo for Study 2.
Study 2. Nabilone 2 mg oral capsule twice in one day by mouth, separated by 3 hours on one day, and placebo (either caffeine 200 mg or glucose powder i
Study 1: caffeine 200 mg capsule taken orally twice in one day by mouth separated by 3 hours on one day, and placebo (glucose powder in capsule, taken orally twice in one day) on the other day, in pseudo-randomised counterbalanced order across participants. Primary purpose to determine if caffeine would be an adequate active placebo for Study 2. Study 2. Nabilone 2 mg oral capsule twice in one day by mouth, separated by 3 hours on one day, and placebo (either caffeine 200 mg or glucose powder in oral capsule depending on the results of study 1) twice in one day on the other day, in pseudo-randomised counterbalanced order across participants. Recruitment for each study is undertaken independently.
Sponsors
University of Western Australia
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Crossover
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 59 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria are between the ages of 18 and 59,
Exclusion criteria
pregnant or breastfeeding; not using a contraceptive if female, fertile and sexually active; ingesting caffeine on the day of each testing session; using current prescription medications other than oral contraceptives or acne medication; using over-the-counter medications in the 48 hours before each testing session; pregnant or breast-feeding; ingesting caffeine on the day of each testing session, using current prescription medications other than oral contraceptives or acne medication using over-the-counter medications in the 48 hours before each testing session/ HAVE: Heart disease or severe blood vessel disease, High blood pressure, Hyperthyroidism, Tics (muscle twitching usually in the face or shoulders) Any degenerative disease of the nervous system, Epilepsy, or other neurological disorders including head injury, Tourette’s syndrome or a family history of the disorder, A psychiatric problem for which you are receiving treatment (schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, etc) A serious medical problem for which you are currently receiving treatment (cardiovascular disorders, respiratory disorders, ect), Had or are currently receiving treatment for substance abuse, A family history of schizophrenia in your first-degree relatives (parents, children or siblings), A history of hypersensitivity to any cannabinoids (including cannabis),
Outcome results
None listed