Dataset Information

Tolcapone in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial.

ABSTRACT: Despite the availability of evidence-based treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), not all patients experience sufficient benefit or are able to tolerate them. Tolcapone is a catechol-O-methyl-transferase (COMT) enzyme inhibitor that augments cortical dopaminergic transmission. Conduct a proof of concept study to examine whether a COMT inhibitor would reduce OCD symptoms to a greater extent than placebo. We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover trial in adults with OCD (N = 20). Participants were assessed at baseline, after 2 weeks of tolcapone, and again after 2 weeks of placebo on measures of OCD symptom severity and psychosocial functioning. There was a 1-week washout period between the 2-week treatment phases. Two weeks of tolcapone was associated with significant improvement in OCD versus two weeks of placebo (t = 2.194, P = 0.0409). The mean percentage decreases in the total Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale (YBOCS) scores for the entire sample over the corresponding 2-week period were 16.4% for tolcapone and 3.6% for placebo. These data indicate that brain penetrant COMT inhibitors merit further investigation as a candidate new treatment for OCD.

SUBMITTER: Grant JE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7611531 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundPsilocybin may help treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To date, only one open-label study of psilocybin for OCD exists, necessitating further investigation with a randomized controlled design. The neural correlates of psilocybin's effects on OCD have also not been studied.ObjectivesThis first-of-its-kind trial aims to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of psilocybin in the treatment of OCD, provide preliminary evidence on the effects of psilocybin on OCD symptoms, and elucidate neural mechanisms that may mediate psilocybin's effects on OCD.DesignWe use a randomized (1:1), double-blind, placebo-controlled, non-crossover design to examine the clinical and neural effects of either a single dose of oral psilocybin (0.25 mg/kg) or active placebo-control agent (250 mg of niacin) on OCD symptoms.Methods and analysisWe are enrolling 30 adult participants at a single site in Connecticut, USA who have failed at least one trial of standard care treatment (medication/psychotherapy) for OCD. All participants will also receive unstructured, non-directive psychological support during visits. Aside from safety, primary outcomes include OCD symptoms over the past 24 h, assessed by the Acute Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale and Visual Analog Scale ratings. These are collected by blinded, independent raters at baseline and the primary endpoint of 48 h post-dosing. Total follow-up is 12 weeks post-dosing. Resting state neuroimaging data will be collected at baseline and primary endpoint. Participants randomized to placebo will be offered the chance to return for an open-label dose of 0.25 mg/kg.Ethics statementAll participants will be required to provide written informed consent. The trial (protocol v. 5.2) was approved by the institutional review board (HIC #2000020355) and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03356483).DiscussionThis study may represent an advance in our ability to treat refractory OCD, and pave the way for future studies of neurobiological mechanisms of OCD that may respond to psilocybin.

Project description:BackgroundMany patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder do not respond adequately to serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Augmentation with antipsychotic drugs can be beneficial in this regard. However, since new relevant randomized controlled trials evaluating new antipsychotics were conducted, a recalculation of the effect sizes appears necessary.MethodsWe meta-analyzed all double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials comparing augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitors with antipsychotics to placebo supplementation in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder. The primary outcome was mean change in the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale total score. Secondary outcomes were obsessions, compulsions, response rates, and attrition rates. The data collection process was conducted independently by 2 authors. Hedges's g and risks ratios were calculated as effect sizes. In preplanned meta-regressions, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses, we examined the robustness of the results and explored reasons for potential heterogeneity.ResultsAltogether, 14 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials (n=491) investigating quetiapine (N=4, n=142), risperidone (N=4, n=132), aripiprazole (N=2, n=79), olanzapine (N=2, n=70), paliperidone (N=1, n=34), and haloperidol (N=1, n=34) were incorporated. Augmentation with antipsychotics was significantly more efficacious than placebo in Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale total reduction (N=14, n=478; Hedges's g=-0.64, 95% CI: -0.87 to -0.41; P=<.01). Aripiprazole (Hedges's g=-1.35), haloperidol (Hedges's g=-0.82), and risperidone (Hedges's g=-0.59) significantly outperformed placebo. Antipsychotics were superior to placebo in treating obsessions, compulsions, and achieving response. There was no between-group difference concerning all-cause discontinuation. The nonsignificant meta-regressions suggest no influence of the antipsychotic dose or baseline symptom severity on the meta-analytic results.ConclusionsAccording to our findings, antipsychotic augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitors can be regarded as an evidence-based measure in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Dataset Information

Tolcapone in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets