Donepezil Effect on Visual Attention and Training

Healthy Clinical Trial

Official title:

Donepezil Effect on Visual Attention and Perceptual Training in Healthy Young Adults

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01738295
• Other study ID #: 12-084-CERES
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: November 20, 2012
• Last updated: June 1, 2017
• Start date: January 2013
• Est. completion date: August 2015

Study information

• Verified date: August 2015
• Source: Université de Montréal
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The present proposal investigates the role of the cholinergic system (the neurotransmitter acetylcholine) in improving vision and visual attention. Vision results from a complex processing of particular stimuli of the visual field. Attention enhances and prolongs the neural representations of visual input in the visual cortex. It has recently been shown that attention in the visual cortex depends on cholinergic mechanisms. The action of acetylcholine in the visual cortex consists in enhancement of the responsiveness to thalamocortical inputs, depression of local neuronal connections or extrastriate feedback projections and induction of gamma synchronisation. The investigators hypothesize that these effects are associated with long-term changes in functional connectivity in the visual cortex, visual attention and visual learning (improvement of the visual capacities).

In the present proposal, the investigators will test whether the administration of donepezil (Aricept, 5mg), a drug that increases the level of acetylcholine in the brain, will enhances the perceptual-cognitive abilities of young adult subjects. Perceptual-cognitive performance will be assessed in a multiple object tracking (MOT) task in a 3D automatic virtual environment. MOT is a task where observers are asked to maintain attentional focus on a limited number of preselected subgroup of elements in a dynamic scene. Multifocal attentional mechanisms are necessary to process the information. The task will be tested five time at one week interval to test whether donepezil and training improved the task performance of the subject, i.e. lead to perceptual learning. This study could help establish an intervention procedure to improve visual performance of subjects that need it.

Description:

Stages of a given perceptual-cognitive task (from Faubert and Sidebottom, Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 2012, 6, 85-102):

1. a predetermined number of spheres (typically eight) are presented in a 3D dimensional virtual volumetric cube space. The spheres are typically all identical.

2. a subset of spheres (typically four) is indexed via highlighting for a brief period of 1 s.

3. the spheres return to their original color and start moving within the restricted 3D virtual space. During this movement, the spheres can collide and consequently suddenly change direction, and they can cross over others, thus occluding their view.

4. the spheres stop moving after a predetermined time, and the observer has to identify the spheres that were initially indexed with halos. The subject is then given feedback on the response by having the spheres identified by revealing the appropriate indexed stimuli.

The main task starts at a given speed, and if all four spheres are not correctly identified, the next trial will be slower. If the four spheres are correctly identified, then the next trial will be faster. Trials are repeated like this following a staircase procedure, and ultimately, a speed threshold is established.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 20
• Est. completion date: August 2015
• Est. primary completion date: August 2014
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 20 Years to 35 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• good general health

• 17 < body mass index < 25

• visual acuity 6/6

• visual stereoscopy > 50

• standard visual field

Exclusion Criteria:

• pregnancy or breast feeding

• use of any drug or St John's wort

• smoking

• asthma

• pulmonary obstruction

• cardiovascular impairment

• attention troubles

• ocular diseases

• epilepsy

• lactose intolerance

• absorption of grapefruit juice

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Healthy

Intervention

Drug:
• Donepezil administration

• Placebo administration

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Canada	School of optometry / Université de Montréal	Montréal	Quebec

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Université de Montréal

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Canada, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Measure of the speed threshold, baseline	The speed of the moving spheres is increased across trials until the subject is not able anymore to track and identify the indexed spheres (speed threshold). In this baseline task, the subject will not take Donepezil or placebo	week 0
Primary	Change from baseline of the speed threshold at 1 week	The speed of the moving spheres is increased across trials. The maximal speed for which the subject is able to track and identify the indexed spheres is the speed threshold. At this time point, the effect of Donepezil (5 mg, single dose) or placebo administration on the perceptual-cognitive performance will be assessed.	week 1
Primary	Change from baseline of the speed threshold at 2 weeks	The speed of the moving spheres is increased across trials. The maximal speed for which the subject is able to track and identify the indexed spheres is the speed threshold. At this time point, the effect of Donepezil (5 mg, single dose) or placebo administration on the perceptual-cognitive performance will be assessed.	week 2
Primary	Change from baseline of the speed threshold at 3 weeks	The speed of the moving spheres is increased across trials. The maximal speed for which the subject is able to track and identify the indexed spheres is the speed threshold. At this time point, the effect of Donepezil (5 mg, single dose) or placebo administration on the perceptual-cognitive performance will be assessed.	week 3
Primary	Change from baseline of the speed threshold at 4 weeks	The speed of the moving spheres is increased across trials. The maximal speed for which the subject is able to track and identify the indexed spheres is the speed threshold. At this time point, the effect of Donepezil (5 mg, single dose) or placebo administration on the perceptual-cognitive performance will be assessed.	week 4