NCT06628154

Losartan and Emotional Learning

The Effects of Single-dose Losartan on Cognitive Flexibility and Learning in Healthy Adults: a Randomised Controlled Study

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: EARLY_Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Oxford · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study explores the effects of single-dose losartan (50mg) versus placebo on emotional processing in healthy volunteers.

Detailed description

The renin-angiotensin system is a major hormone system involved in blood pressure regulation. However, its major receptors are also found in the brain, particularly in areas implicated in anxiety and depression. In line with this topography, drugs blocking angiotensin-II receptors have been shown to have effects on cognition that are opposite to those seen in emotional disorders. For instance, angiotensin receptor blockade improves fear extinction, and it dampens stress responsivity to highly aversive images. In line with such cognitive effects, population-based studies suggest that angiotensin receptor blockers - compared to other antihypertensive drugs - prevent the development of post-traumatic stress disorder following trauma exposition and improve outcomes in patients taking SSRI. This study aims to shed further light on how the renin-angiotensin system affects different aspects of cognitive processing in humans relevant to emotional disorders. In a double-blind, randomized between-group design, we will investigate the effects of a single dose of losartan (50mg) versus placebo on emotional processing in N=60 healthy volunteers aged 18-50 years. Results from this study will help us understand how the renin-angiotensin system affects emotional processing in humans, and they will help us identify potential synergistic overlaps with the cognitive mechanisms of action of effective treatment of emotional disorders.

Conditions

• Emotional Processing

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DRUG	Losartan potassium 50mg	Single dose losartan (50 mg, weight-adjusted), encapsulated identically to placebo
OTHER	Placebo	Single tablet encapsulated identically to losartan

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-08-14
• Primary completion: 2025-07-01
• Completion: 2025-07-01
• First posted: 2024-10-04
• Last updated: 2024-10-04

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom