NCT00322023

Safety and Effectiveness of D-serine in Schizophrenia

PK/PD Study of Escalating Dose D-serine as Adjunctive Treatment in Schizophrenia

• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 55 (actual)
• Sponsor: Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will determine whether increasing D-serine within the body will improve negative symptoms and cognitive impairments in people with schizophrenia.

Detailed description

Schizophrenia is a life-long brain disorder affecting approximately 1 percent of Americans each year. Schizophrenia can be extremely disabling, causing people to hear voices, experience paranoia or hallucinations, believe that others are controlling their thoughts, and even fail at maintaining a job or caring for themselves. Current medications help to relieve most of these symptoms, but not all. Some people with schizophrenia still suffer from negative symptoms, such as difficulty with talking, expressing emotions, and motivation; they may also suffer from cognitive impairments, such as decreased concentration and memory loss. D-serine, an amino acid found within the body, activates brain cell receptors that appear to play a role in learning and memory. This study will determine whether adding a D-serine solution to a stable antipsychotic medication regimen will decrease negative symptoms in people with schizophrenia. Participants in this open-label study will remain on their regular medication regimen for at least 2 weeks. During this time and before starting treatment, participants will be interviewed about their emotional problems, marital status, education, family background, employment history, and any drug or alcohol problems. Participants will also undergo a physical exam, an electrocardiogram (EKG), vital sign measurements, psychological tests, cognitive tasks, and an electroencephalogram (EEG). Participants will then begin 4 weeks of treatment with D-serine. In addition to participants' regular medication regimen, they will drink a D-serine powder mixed with water twice daily. Every 2 weeks, participants will undergo a physical exam and an interview about any changes in symptoms or emotional problems that they may be experiencing. Blood and urine samples will be taken throughout the study. After 4 weeks, participants will undergo an EKG, EEG, and the same psychological tests and cognitive tasks completed prior to treatment. A follow-up visit will occur 2 weeks post-treatment to monitor any changes in negative symptoms.

Conditions

• Schizophrenia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	D-serine	D-serine at following dose levels: 30 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg, and 120 mg/kg. PK/PD studies done at day 1. Medication will be administered as powder dissolved in liquid given in two divided doses daily for 4 weeks.
DRUG	D-serine
DRUG	D-serine
DRUG	D-serine

Timeline

• Start date: 2006-03-01
• Primary completion: 2009-01-01
• Completion: 2009-01-01
• First posted: 2006-05-04
• Last updated: 2020-10-05
• Results posted: 2020-10-05

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: United States