Clinical Trial: Low-Dose Lithium for the Treatment of Behavioral Symptoms in Frontotemporal Dementia

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

Official Title: Low-Dose Lithium for the Treatment of Behavioral Symptoms in Frontotemporal Dementia

Brief Summary: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a progressive neurodegenerative illness that affects the frontal and anterior temporal lobes of the brain. Changes in behavior, including agitation, aggression, and repetitive behaviors, are common symptoms in FTD. The investigators currently do not have good medications to treat these symptoms in FTD, and the medications the investigators use often have side effects. In this project, the investigators will test the use of low-dose lithium, compared to a placebo pill, for the treatment of behavioral symptoms in FTD. Lithium greatly reduces the behavioral symptoms of bipolar disorder, and many have found low-dose lithium to be well-tolerated in patients with dementia. Lithium appears to inhibit the creation of a protein involved in many cases of FTD called tau.

Detailed Summary: Behavioral symptoms of Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), including agitation, aggression, and inappropriate repetitive behaviors are common, distressing to patients and caregivers, often lead to institutionalization, and can be very difficult and expensive to treat. There is a dearth of medication for treating these symptoms in FTD. Typically, antidepressants and antipsychotic medications are prescribed - which low efficacy and, with the latter class, carry serious adverse effects such as parkinsonism and increased cardiovascular-related mortality. The investigators propose a study of the efficacy of lithium carbonate compared to placebo in the treatment of agitation, aggression, and inappropriate repetitive behaviors in 60 patients with FTD in a randomized, double-blind, two-arm parallel 12-week trial. Lithium is a highly effective treatment for mania and symptoms of agitation or aggression in bipolar disorder. It also inhibits tau aggregation and phosphorylation, leading to considerable interest in its use as a disease-modifying treatment for tauopathies such as FTD and Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, earlier trials using typical doses (i.e., doses prescribed for treatment of bipolar disorder) showed high incidence of serious adverse effects (including confusion and delirium). For the study proposed study the investigators will: 1) use lower doses and lower target serum concentrations than have preceding trials (shown in preliminary data from a Columbia study and data from other labs to be well-tolerated) and 2) target behavioral symptoms rather than cognitive outcomes.
Sponsor: Columbia University

Current Primary Outcome: Reduction in agitation and aggression as measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Scale (NPI) [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]

The NPI is a scale designed to assess behavioral changes due to neurological illness. It uses a standardized caregiver interview to rate patient symptoms in a variety of domains, including "Agitation/Aggression." Each domain includes a number of questions about potential specific symptoms, and then asks the caregiver to rate symptom frequency (1, occasionally, to 4, very frequently) as well as symptom severity (1, mild, to 3, severe). Thus, in each domain a patient can score from 0-12, with 0 being no symptoms and 12 being very frequent and severe symptoms. The study aims to test that lithium will significantly reduce agitation/aggression as compared to placebo by testing whether participants taking lithium show a greater reduction in their NPI "Agitation/Aggression" domain score over the course of the trial.


Original Primary Outcome:

  • Reduction in agitation as measured by the NPI scale [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]
  • Reduction in aggression as measured by the NPI scale [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]


Current Secondary Outcome: Proportion of responders in the lithium and placebo groups [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]

Response requires a 30% decrease in NPI core score (sum of domain scores for "Agitation/Aggression" and "Aberrant Motor Behavior") plus a Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Change score of much improved or very much improved (CGI based on these behavioral symptoms only).


Original Secondary Outcome: Number of adverse events [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ]

Information By: Columbia University

Dates:
Date Received: August 7, 2016
Date Started: January 27, 2017
Date Completion: March 2020
Last Updated: April 18, 2017
Last Verified: April 2017