Clinical Trial: Impact of Emotional Mimicry and Oxytocin on Frontotemporal Dementia

Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Impact of Emotional Mimicry and Oxytocin on Frontotemporal Dementia

Brief Summary: This study will evaluate the effects on emotions and neural activity of a one time dose of intranasal oxytocin vs. placebo in patients with FTD and healthy controls.

Detailed Summary: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Pick's disease cause changes in personality, behaviour, and emotional responses. The usual treatments for Frontotemporal dementia focus on reducing agitation and aggressive behaviours. However, these drugs do not help all patients who experience blunting of emotion and loss of empathy. This study will evaluate the effects on emotions and neural activity of a one time dose of intranasal oxytocin vs. placebo in patients with FTD and healthy controls.
Sponsor: Lawson Health Research Institute

Current Primary Outcome: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) BOLD signal [ Time Frame: 2 weeks ]

Measures of BOLD (Blood Oxygen-Level Dependent) signal change during oxytocin compared to placebo during functional MRI scans


Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

Current Secondary Outcome: Cognitive and Emotional Task performance [ Time Frame: 2 weeks ]

Performance on standardized tasks of emotion processing and cognition


Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

Information By: Lawson Health Research Institute

Dates:
Date Received: September 3, 2013
Date Started: September 2013
Date Completion: March 2018
Last Updated: March 9, 2017
Last Verified: March 2017