Cross-over Study on the Influence of Fampridine on Working Memory in Mild Depression

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF BASEL · Dec 20, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying whether a medication called fampridine can help improve working memory in people who have mild depression. Working memory is the part of our brain that helps us hold and use information for short periods, like remembering a phone number long enough to dial it. Many people with depression experience difficulties with working memory, and currently, there aren't effective treatments specifically targeting this issue. The researchers aim to see if fampridine, which has shown promise in healthy individuals with similar memory challenges, can be beneficial for those with mild depression.

To be eligible for this study, participants should be between 18 and 30 years old, fluent in German, and have a confirmed diagnosis of mild depression. Other important criteria include not having serious health conditions or taking certain medications that could interfere with the study. If someone joins the trial, they can expect to take fampridine and participate in assessments to evaluate their memory performance over time. It’s important to note that this study is not yet recruiting participants, so those interested will need to wait for further updates.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Male or female
• • Major depressive episode confirmed by the Mini-DIPS. Currently mild (MADRS: 7-19).
• • Normotensive (BP: 90/60mmHg - 140/90mmHg). Sufficiently treated hypertensive subjects will be included.
• • BMI: 19 - 34,9 kg/m2
• • Age: 18 - 30 years
• • Fluent in German
• • IC as documented by signature
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Contraindications to the class of drugs under study, e.g. known hypersensitivity or allergy to 4-aminopyridine
• • Use of potassium channel blockers within the last 3 months
• • Treatment with OCT 2 inhibitors and -substrates (e.g. cimetidine, propranolol)
• • Treatment with antidepressants or antipsychotics within the last 3 months and throughout the study period
• • Current intake of psychoactive drugs (e.g. benzodiazepines, antidepressants, neuroleptics).
• • Other acute or chronic psychiatric disorder (e.g. psychosis, somatoform disorder, alcohol or drug abuse disorder)
• • MADRS item 10 \> 0 (suicidal tendency)
• • Risk of lowered seizure threshold (due to e.g. sleep deprivation, withdrawal of alcohol after alcohol abuse, hyponatraemia)
• • History of seizures
• • Acute cerebrovascular condition
• • Acute renal failure or severe renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance \< 30 ml/min per 1.73 m2)
• • Bradycardia \< 50/min during clinical examination.
• • History of malignant cancers
• • Walking problems (e.g. due to dizziness)
• • Other clinically significant concomitant disease states (e.g. hepatic dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma)
• • Clinically significant laboratory or ECG abnormality that could be a safety issue in the study
• • Severe somatic or neurological comorbidities
• • Smoking (\>5 cigarettes per day)
• • Pregnancy or breast feeding. Intention to become pregnant during the study participation.
• • Known or suspected non-compliance
• • Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language or psychological problems of the participant
• • Participation in another study with an investigational drug within the 30 days preceding and during the present study
• • Prior participation (less than two years ago) in a study investigating working memory (notably the n-back task)
• • Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons