The Effect of Imipramine on Early Information Processing

Early Information Processing in Healthy Controls: Studies on the Relation Between Two Different Paradigms (PPI and P50ERP) and Effects of Pharmacological Interventions

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00206999

Enrollment

Registered

2005-09-21

Start date

2004-09-30

Completion date

2006-01-31

Last updated

2011-09-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy Volunteers

Keywords

Psychophysiology, PPI, P50 suppression, Imipramine

Brief summary

We wanted to compare the relation of two different psychophysiological paradigms (PrePulse Inhibition of the startle response = PPI and P50 suppression) to each other. Additionally, we wanted to test the effect of the combined serotonin- and noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitor, imipramine, on these measures. The primary hypothesis was that PPI and P50 gating would not correlate with each other at baseline. The secondary hypothesis was that increased noradrenergic and serotonergic activity would disrupt PPI as well as P50 gating.

Detailed description

Schizophrenic patients exhibit impairments in filtering of sensory information, as can be assessed by use of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response and P50 suppression paradigms. In the treatment of negative symptoms or depressive syndromes during the course of schizophrenia antidepressants are often combined with antipsychotic medication. However, antidepressants increase monoaminergic activity, of which in turn it has been suggested to decrease sensory gating, although these presumptions are mostly based on results from animal studies. Currently, little is known about monoaminergic modulation of sensory filtering in humans, and the few reports that can be found in literature show discrepancies with animal studies. The current study was designed to study the effects of increased monoaminergic activity on sensory filtering and habituation of healthy volunteers. In a double-blind, placebo controlled cross-over design, twenty healthy male volunteers will receive either placebo or a dose of 50 mg of imipramine (a dual acting antidepressant), after which they will be tested in a P50 suppression-, a PPI-, and a habituation of the startle reflex paradigm.

Interventions

DRUGimipramine

Either 50 mg of imipramine or placebo will be administered to healthy male volunteers

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

MALE

Age

18 Years to 35 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Male subjects * Good Physical and Mental Health meeting criteria never mentally ill, which will be evaluated with a medical history checklist, ECG * Non smokers

Exclusion criteria

* Current use of any medication * Any subject who has received any investigational medication within 30 days prior to the start of this study * History of neurologic illness * History of psychiatric illness in first-degree relatives, evaluated with DSM-IV criteria * History of alcohol and drug abuse. Positive urine screening for amphetamine, cocaine, cannabis, or ecstasy.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Sensory gating	Once, 1 hour after administration of capsule

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
PPI of the startle reflex	once, one hour after administration
P50 suppression	once, one hour after administration

Countries

Denmark

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026