NCT03671525

Cognitive Effects of Nimodipine in Patients With Schizophrenia

• Status: Completed
• Phase: EARLY_Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 18 (actual)
• Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to evaluate the acute effects of nimodipine on cognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia using a battery of cognitive assessments.The subjects will also complete a 30-minute structural and functional MRI scan, with the goal of linking brain activity with working memory performance. Investigators predict that the performance increase induced by nimodipine will be greater in subjects who carry the A allele for the Calcium Voltage-Gated Channel Subunit Alpha1 C (CACNA1C) risk single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs1006737) in comparison to the response of G carriers.

Detailed description

The main cognitive task of interest in this study is the N-back task because of the observed attenuation of prefrontal and parietal cortical activity after nimodipine administration in healthy subjects. Investigators hypothesize that acute nimodipine administration will improve cortical activation, which will lead to improved cognitive performance. The current study will provide insight whether nimodipine or another calcium channel blocker could be used as a treatment approach to alleviate cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia.

Conditions

• Schizophrenia
• Schizo Affective Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Nimodipine	Subject will receive two 30mg capsules of nimodipine during study visit.
DRUG	Placebo oral capsule	Two coconut oil capsules that mimic the size and color of the nimodipine capsules

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-10-05
• Primary completion: 2023-05-12
• Completion: 2023-05-12
• First posted: 2018-09-14
• Last updated: 2023-06-23

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: United States

Regulatory

• FDA-regulated drug study