Predicting Treatment Outcomes in Refractory Constipation Through Brain Connectivity Evaluation

Launched by XIJING HOSPITAL OF DIGESTIVE DISEASES · Jan 14, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how the brain's activity and connections may influence treatment outcomes for patients with stubborn constipation, a condition that doesn't improve with standard treatments. The researchers want to learn more about how brain connectivity differs in patients who respond well to a medication called fluoxetine compared to those who do not. By using brain scans, they aim to find out if these brain patterns can help predict how well fluoxetine or other treatments will work for constipation.

To participate, individuals must be between 18 and 45 years old, right-handed, and have a diagnosis of functional constipation. Participants will undergo standard assessments for constipation, receive brain scans, and be treated with either fluoxetine or standard care. The study is currently looking for volunteers, so if you or someone you know fits the criteria and is interested, this could be a valuable opportunity to contribute to important research in this area.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 18≤ age ≤ 45 years old
• • Right-handed
• • Patients diagnosed as functional constipation according to the Rome IV criteria
• • Informed consent of patients
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Complicated with gastrointestinal organic disease or significant functional abnormalities (tuberculosis, polyps, Crohn's disease, tumors, congenital megacolon, pelvic floor muscle relaxation, abnormal colonic transit test, etc.)
• • Long-term intense exercise (continuous exercise for more than 8 hours per week, such as marathon runners or triathletes)
• • No history of chronic pain, no recent major trauma
• • Drug abuse or tobacco dependence (half a pack or more per day)
• • Combined hypothyroidism and Parkinson's disease
• • Patients with confirmed mental illness or neurological disorders who take psychotropic drugs, analgesics or hormones
• • History of abdominal surgery (appendectomy, hysterectomy, or cholecystectomy)
• • Contraindications to functional magnetic resonance imaging (claustrophobia, metal implants)
• • Pregnant or lactating women with constipation after delivery
• • Patients with other benign and malignant tumors and autoimmune diseases
• • Infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, AIDS, etc.
• • Heart disease, organ failure and other chronic diseases that require long-term medication or affect the quality of life