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Naltrexone for Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease

Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Study of Naltrexone for Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01052831
Enrollment
50
Registered
2010-01-20
Start date
2009-11-30
Completion date
2012-12-31
Last updated
2015-08-06

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

Conditions

Impulse Control Disorder, Parkinson Disease

Keywords

Compulsive Gambling, Compulsive Buying, Compulsive Shopping, Compulsive Eating, Hypersexuality, Dopamine Agonists, Mirapex, Pramipexole, Requip, Ropinirole, Impulse Control Disorders

Brief summary

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of naltrexone in reducing ICD symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients taking a dopamine agonist.

Detailed description

Impulse control disorders (ICDs), including compulsive gambling, sexual behavior, buying, and eating, are increasingly recognized as a significant clinical problem in Parkinson's disease (PD), occurring in up to 15% of patients. Dopamine agonist (DA) treatment is thought to be the primary risk factor for the development of ICDs in PD. ICDs often lead to significant impairments in psychosocial functioning, interpersonal relationships, and quality of life. The management of ICDs in the context of PD can be complex. Patients may be reluctant to discontinue DA treatment due to the motor benefits derived from treatment, so patients often have chronic symptoms. Thus, additional treatment approaches are needed. A medication shown to be efficacious for the treatment of ICDs with minimal impact on parkinsonism would allow many ICD patients to continue on full-dose DA treatment. Naltrexone, a long-acting opioid receptor antagonist, helps in the treatment of alcohol and opioid dependence. In addition, placebo-controlled studies have demonstrated that it helps in the treatment of pathological gambling in the general population. Opioids regulate dopamine pathways in areas of the brain linked with impulse control disorders, and opioid antagonists block opioid receptors in these regions. In this study, 48 PD patients with an ICD will be treated either with naltrexone (50-100 mg/day) or placebo for a period of 8 weeks. The study will assess if naltrexone improves ICD symptoms in PD and is well tolerated. To our knowledge, the proposed study is the first controlled trial of an agent to treat ICDs in PD.

Interventions

DRUGNaltrexone

50-100 mg qd for 8 weeks

DRUGPlacebo

50-100 mg qd for 8 weeks

Sponsors

Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
CollaboratorOTHER
University of Pennsylvania
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Diagnosis of possible or probable idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). 2. Ages 18-85 years. 3. Diagnosis of compulsive gambling, buying, sex behavior, or eating of \>2 months duration. 4. Impulse control disorder (ICD) behaviors that began after PD onset and in context of dopamine agonist (DA) treatment. 5. Current stable DA use. Participants must be on a DA for 6 months and on a stable dose (no changes) for 1 month prior to enrolling the in the study. 6. Subjects are capable of giving informed consent, supported by not having significant cognitive impairment based on Montreal Cognitive Assessment score ≥24. 7. Willingness to maintain existing PD pharmacotherapy regimen for the duration of the study.

Exclusion criteria

1. Active suicide ideation. 2. Anticipated need to initiate antidepressant therapy during the course of the study (must be on a dose in the therapeutic range for at least 2 months. If patient does end up needing to start antidepressant or change antidepressant dose during the course of the study, he/she will be allowed to continue study participation). 3. ICD behaviors so severe that modification of DA treatment is clinically warranted, as judged by PI. 4. Deep brain stimulation surgery in the past year. 5. Evidence for significant liver disease by chart review or patient history (e.g., cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis, liver transplant, or liver cancer). 6. Meeting diagnostic criteria for alcohol or opiate dependence. 7. Meeting diagnostic criteria for Dopamine Dysregulation Syndrome. 8. Use of opioids for pain management. 9. Females that are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding will not be included in the study. Females of child bearing potential will need to verify that they are not pregnant by a negative urine pregnancy test.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Participants Assessed as Very Much Improved or Much Improved Based on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) ScaleThe CGI-I was administered at Visit 2 (week 2, two weeks after baseline) and Visit 5 (week 8, termination visit 8 weeks after baseline).The Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale rates total improvement on a 7 point scale: 1. = Very much improved 2. = Much improved 3. = Minimally improved 4. = No change 5. = Minimally worse 6. = Much worse 7. = Very much worse A participant scoring a 1 or 2 is considered a responder on the CGI scale. For the change in response status over time, a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was used.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease - Rating Scale (QUIP-RS)The QUIP-RS was administered at baseline and the termination visits (Visit 5, 8 weeks after baseline).The Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS) was developed for use in clinical trials and added as a secondary outcome measure for assessment of change in severity of ICD symptoms, to be completed at baseline and end of study only. For the QUIP-RS, scores for each compulsive behavior range from 0 to 16, with a higher score indicating greater severity (frequency) of symptoms. Given that ICD symptoms are frequently comorbid in patients with PD, total QUIP-RS ICD scores (range from 0 to 64) were used to compare overall severity of ICD symptoms. Please note that this measure is reporting a change from baseline.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Naltrexone
Participants will receive Naltrexone Naltrexone: 50-100 mg qd for 8 weeks
26
Placebo
Participants will receive placebo treatment Placebo: 50-100 mg qd for 8 weeks
24
Total50

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicNaltrexonePlaceboTotal
Age, Continuous61.3 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9
61.0 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.2
61.2 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.5
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
26 Participants23 Participants49 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
10 Participants18 Participants28 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
16 Participants6 Participants22 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
18 / 2414 / 24
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 240 / 24

Outcome results

Primary

Percentage of Participants Assessed as Very Much Improved or Much Improved Based on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Scale

The Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale rates total improvement on a 7 point scale: 1. = Very much improved 2. = Much improved 3. = Minimally improved 4. = No change 5. = Minimally worse 6. = Much worse 7. = Very much worse A participant scoring a 1 or 2 is considered a responder on the CGI scale. For the change in response status over time, a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was used.

Time frame: The CGI-I was administered at Visit 2 (week 2, two weeks after baseline) and Visit 5 (week 8, termination visit 8 weeks after baseline).

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
NaltrexonePercentage of Participants Assessed as Very Much Improved or Much Improved Based on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Scale54.4 percentage of responders
PlaceboPercentage of Participants Assessed as Very Much Improved or Much Improved Based on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) Scale33.1 percentage of responders
Secondary

Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease - Rating Scale (QUIP-RS)

The Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease-Rating Scale (QUIP-RS) was developed for use in clinical trials and added as a secondary outcome measure for assessment of change in severity of ICD symptoms, to be completed at baseline and end of study only. For the QUIP-RS, scores for each compulsive behavior range from 0 to 16, with a higher score indicating greater severity (frequency) of symptoms. Given that ICD symptoms are frequently comorbid in patients with PD, total QUIP-RS ICD scores (range from 0 to 64) were used to compare overall severity of ICD symptoms. Please note that this measure is reporting a change from baseline.

Time frame: The QUIP-RS was administered at baseline and the termination visits (Visit 5, 8 weeks after baseline).

Population: A linear mixed-effects model was used to estimate changes in QUIP-RS ICD scores from baseline to termination (visit 5, 8 weeks after baseline). Positive estimated change values represent a decrease in severity (frequency) of symptoms.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
NaltrexoneQuestionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease - Rating Scale (QUIP-RS)14.92 Change in points on a scale (QUIP-RS)
PlaceboQuestionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease - Rating Scale (QUIP-RS)7.55 Change in points on a scale (QUIP-RS)

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