Study of Melatonin: Sleep Problems in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer Disease Clinical Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00000171
• Other study ID #: IA0006
• Secondary ID: 3U01AG010483-08S
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• First received: October 29, 1999
• Last updated: June 23, 2005

Study information

• Verified date: March 2005
• Source: National Institute on Aging (NIA)
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Federal Government
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This protocol is a multicenter clinical trial of melatonin for sleep disturbances associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Frequent nocturnal awakening is a common behavioral symptom of AD. Nighttime wandering and agitated behavior may result in injuries and sleep disruption for caregivers. Alternatives are sorely needed to the currently available sleep medications that have marginal efficacy and serious side effects. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone secreted by the pineal gland. It has soporific effects with oral administration and is well tolerated. It enhances sleep in normal older people. Melatonin also may help sleep disturbances associated with AD; however, this remains to be proven.

Description:

In Alzheimer's disease , sleep disruption is one of the most common behavioral problems, occurring in 45 percent of patients. These nocturnal awakenings and agitation lead to considerable burden for caregivers and frequently lead families to the decision of nursing home placement. The proposed study is a randomized, double blind, parallel group, placebo controlled, clinical trial. Placebo will be compared with two doses of melatonin: a 2.5 mg, slow- release preparation and a 10 mg immediate release preparation. One hundred and fifty community-residing AD patients with disrupted sleep will be recruited. Included subjects will meet NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable AD. Prior to study entry, disrupted sleep will be documented by clinical history and by 1 to 2 weeks of recording using wrist activity monitors. The treatment period will last 8 weeks. Rest/activity patterns will be recorded by wrist activity monitors. The primary outcome measure will be the change in nocturnal sleep time from baseline to the end of the treatment phase.

Other outcomes also will be examined, including the time awake after sleep onset, sleep latency, sleep efficiency, daytime agitation, and changes in cognition. The relative effectiveness of high and low dose melatonin will be assessed. Adverse events and side effects will be compared by treatment. This study should provide the data necessary to determine whether melatonin is a safe and effective treatment for disrupted sleep associated with AD.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 0
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 55 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients must meet NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Patients must have disrupted sleep, documented by clinical history and by 1 to 2 weeks of recording using wrist activity monitors.

• A diagnosis of probable AD.

• MMSE score 0-26.

• Hachinski Ischemia Scale score less than or equal to 4.

• A 2-week history of two or more sleep disorder behaviors, occurring at least once weekly, as reported by the caregiver on the Sleep Disorder Inventory.

• CT or MRI since the onset of memory problems showing no more than one lacunar infarct in a non-strategic area and no clinical events suggestive of stroke or other intracranial disease since the CT or MRI.

• Physically acceptable for study as confirmed by medical history and exam, clinical laboratory results, and EKG.

• Actigraph evidence of a mean nocturnal sleep time of less than 7 hours per night (at least 5 nights of complete actigraph data must be collected over a single week.

• Stable home situation with no planned move during the 13-week investigational period.

• Residing with responsible spouse, family member, or professional caregiver who is present during the night and will agree to assume the role of the principal caregiver for the 13-week protocol, including arranging transport for the patient to and from the investigators' clinic, answering questions regarding the patient's condition, and assuming responsibility for medication and actigraph procedures.

• Ability to ingest oral medication and participate in all scheduled evaluations.

• Six grades of education or work history sufficient to exclude mental retardation.

• 55 years of age or older.

• Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score of 15 or less.

• Stable medication (dose and type) for non-excluded concurrent medical conditions for 4 weeks prior to the screening visit.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Sleep disturbance is acute (within the last 2 weeks).

• Sleep disturbance is associated with an acute illness with delirium.

• Clinically significant movement disorder that would interfere with the actigraph readings.

• Not having a mobile upper extremity to which to attach an actigraph.

• Severe agitation.

• Pain syndrome affecting sleep.

• Unstable medical condition.

• Use of investigational or unapproved medications within 4 weeks of the screening visit.

• Patient unwilling to maintain caffeine abstinence after 2:00 pm for the duration of the protocol.

• Patient unwilling to comply with the maximum limit of two alcoholic drinks per day, and only one alcoholic drink after 6:00 pm for the duration of the protocol.

• Use of melatonin within 2 weeks of screening visit.

• Clinically significant abnormal laboratory findings that have not been approved by the Project Director.

• Residing in a facility without a consistent caregiver present during the night who can function as the primary informant.

• Caregiver deemed too unreliable to supervise the wearing of the actigraph, to maintain the sleep diary, or to bring the patient to the scheduled visits.

• Autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Alzheimer Disease
• Dyssomnias

Intervention

Drug:
• Melatonin

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	University of Michigan	Ann Arbor	Michigan
United States	Emory University	Atlanta	Georgia
United States	Augusta VA Medical Center	Augusta	Georgia
United States	Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore	Maryland
United States	University Hospitals of Cleveland	Cleveland	Ohio
United States	University of Texas	Dallas	Texas
United States	Baylor College of Medicine	Houston	Texas
United States	University of California Irvine Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia	Irvine	California
United States	Mayo Clinic Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Florida
United States	University of Kansas Medical Center	Kansas City	Kansas
United States	University of California, San Diego	La Jolla	California
United States	University of Kentucky	Lexington	Kentucky
United States	University of California, Los Angeles	Los Angeles	California
United States	University of Southern California	Los Angeles	California
United States	Mount Sinai (Miami)	Miami	Florida
United States	University of Minnesota	Minneapolis	Minnesota
United States	Vanderbilt University Medical Center	Nashville	Tennessee
United States	Yale University, Alzheimer's Disease ResearchUnit	New Haven	Connecticut
United States	Columbia University	New York	New York
United States	New York University Medical Center	New York	New York
United States	Brown University	Pawtucket	Rhode Island
United States	University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
United States	University of Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania
United States	Oregon Health Sciences University	Portland	Oregon
United States	Mayo Clinic at Rochester	Rochester	Minnesota
United States	University of Rochester Medical Center	Rochester	New York
United States	University of Washington	Seattle	Washington
United States	Southern Illinois University	Springfield	Illinois
United States	Washington University	St. Louis	Missouri
United States	University of South Florida	Tampa	Florida
United States	University of Arizona	Tucson	Arizona

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (1)

Singer C, Tractenberg RE, Kaye J, Schafer K, Gamst A, Grundman M, Thomas R, Thal LJ; Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study. A multicenter, placebo-controlled trial of melatonin for sleep disturbance in Alzheimer's disease. Sleep. 2003 Nov 1;26(7):893-901. — View Citation