Down Syndrome Memantine Follow-up Study

Completed · Phase 2 · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Down Syndrome, Intellectual Disability

In brief

The purpose of this research study is to learn if the medication Memantine Hydrochloride (the study medication) can help adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. Dr. Alberto Costa and his research team want to see if a 16-week treatment with this medication can improve the participant's ability to learn and remember things. In this study, memantine hydrochloride will be used. Thus, the researchers want to learn whether the study drug can help improve memory in young adults with Down syndrome. To test the effect of the study medicine, half of the people in the study will receive the study medicine and half will receive a placebo (an inactive substance). Memantine is an approved medication to treat memory and thinking problems in persons with Alzheimer disease. However, little is known about the effect of this medication in persons with Down syndrome and it has not been approved for use in persons with Down syndrome.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02304302

Run by

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

People needed

160

Starts

2014-10-01

Expected to finish

2020-07-22

Last updated by the study team

2023-06-27

Who can join

Age: 15 and older, up to 32. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Cytogenetically documented Trisomy 21 or Complete Unbalanced Translocation of Chromosome 21. Mosaic Trisomy 21 and partial translocations will be excluded from the study
• No pregnancy by serum testing at screening. Females of child-bearing potential, sexually active must be practicing a reliable method of birth control. Urine pregnancy tests will be done at the 2 follow-up medical visits
• Laboratory findings within normal limits or judged clinically insignificant at baseline
• Vital signs within normal limits for age. Stable, medically treated hypotension will be allowed
• ECG must demonstrate predominately normal sinus rhythm. Minor abnormalities documented as clinically insignificant will be allowed
• Participants and their authorized representatives will provide written informed consent
• Participants who have received any experimental drug for Down syndrome must undergo a washout
• All participants must: Be in general good health as judged by the investigators; Be able to swallow oral medication; Have a reliable caregiver or family member who agrees to accompany participant to all visits, provide information about the participant as required by the protocol, and ensure compliance with the medication schedule; Be sufficiently proficient in English (USA) or Portuguese (Brazil) to reliably complete the study assessments
• Age and gender matching participants without Down syndrome, must be: Males or females without Down syndrome aged-matching (within 3 years) participants with Down syndrome whom they are expected to serve as controls

You may not qualify if…

• Participant weighing less than 40 kg
• Current psychiatric or neurologic diagnosis other than Down syndrome (e.g., major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, Alzheimer disease)
• Current treatment with psychotropic drugs
• Drug or alcohol abuse or dependence
• Significant suicide risk or who would require treatment with electro-convulsive therapy or with psychotropic drugs during the study or who have received treatment with a depot neuroleptic drug within 6 months of entering the study.
• Current or expected (within the next 6 months) hospitalization or residence in a skilled nursing facility (may reside in group homes or other residential settings with no skilled nursing)
• Active or clinically significant conditions affecting absorption, distribution, or metabolism of study drug (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease or celiac disease)
• Significant allergies to or other significant intolerance of memantine therapy, its ingredients, or with contraindications to memantine therapy as stated in the prescribing information
• Participants who are expected to require general anesthetics during the course of the study
• Presence or recent history of seizure disorder (< 3 years).
• Clinically significant and/or clinically unstable systemic disease. (Those with controlled hypothyroidism must be on a stable dose of medication for at least 3 months prior to screening and have normal serum T-4 and TSH at screening; and those with controlled diabetes mellitus must have an HbA1c of < 8.0% and a random serum glucose value of < 170 mg/dl)
• Severe infections or a major surgical operation within 3 months prior to screening
• History of persistent cognitive deficits immediately following head trauma.
• Donation of blood or blood products less that 30 days prior to screening, while participating in the study, or four weeks after completion of the study
• Inability to comply with the protocol or perform the outcomes measures due to significant hearing or visual impairment or other issues judged relevant by the investigators
• Exclusion criteria for controls without Down syndrome: History of substance abuse, major psychiatric disorder, attention deficit disorder, or learning disability; Beck Depression Score greater than 10; Exclusion criteria specific to MR scanning; Pregnancy; Neurologic history

Where it is running

• University Hospitals Case Medical Center — Cleveland, Ohio, United States
• Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein — São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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