Intranasal Insulin for Improving Cognitive Function in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting Clinical Trial

Official title:

Intranasal Insulin for Improving Cognitive Function in Multiple Sclerosis

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02988401
• Other study ID #: IRB00095554
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 1/Phase 2
• Start date: December 1, 2017
• Est. completion date: December 17, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: February 2023
• Source: Johns Hopkins University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study will evaluate if giving insulin that is administered in the nostrils (intranasal) is safe and tolerable for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). It is also being done to evaluate if intranasal insulin improves cognitive function in people with MS and to evaluate how it might be working.

Description:

Cognitive impairment is common in and devastating to people with MS. MS is a common, chronic, central nervous system (CNS) disease characterized by inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration. One of the most devastating symptoms of this disease is impaired cognitive function, which is common and present in over 60% of individuals with MS. MS-related cognitive impairment is associated with lowered quality of life and reduced functional capacity, including loss of employment, impaired social relationships, compromised driving safety, and poor adherence to treatment. Impaired cognitive functioning has been observed early in the disease, sometimes even before diagnosis, and cognitive function has been shown to decline longitudinally, both over the short- and long-term. Several cognitive domains are impacted in people with MS, including attention, memory, executive functioning, and especially processing speed.

To date, multiple pharmacologic interventions have been assessed with disappointing results. There was no significant difference between treatment and placebo for cognition in randomized control trials of donepezil, aminopyridines, gingko biloba, and memantine. Psychostimulants demonstrated some efficacy, but only in secondary outcome measures. Behavioral interventions show promise but are understudied. Furthermore, cognitive rehabilitation is often time consuming, costly, and not universally available. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify or develop novel therapies that can help improve cognitive function in MS.

Intranasal insulin is extremely safe and tolerable in other populations, allowing for concentrated delivery to the nervous system. An intranasal delivery system provides a non-invasive way to bypass the blood-brain barrier and allow rapid delivery of a medication to the CNS via the olfactory and trigeminal perivascular channels.The main advantage of the delivery system is reducing systemic side effects via limiting a medication's exposure to peripheral organs and tissues.

Insulin administration has been shown to improve memory and learning in healthy people and in those with neurodegenerative diseases. Intranasal insulin has been shown to have neuroprotective and restorative effects in several human clinical trials. Overall, findings suggest that intranasal insulin not only affects cognitive function acutely, but that over time, there may be associated structural changes that lead to a more permanent treatment benefit. Cognitive dysfunction is very common in MS and can be devastating, therefore a treatment intervention (i.e., intranasal insulin) can help both acutely and longitudinally.

The primary aim of this study is to assess the safety and tolerability of intranasal insulin in people with MS. The secondary aim is to evaluate if intranasal insulin improves learning and memory in people with MS. The third aim is to evaluate the impact of intranasal insulin on measures of oxidative stress, axonal injury, cellular stress, and energy metabolism in MS.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 105
• Est. completion date: December 17, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: December 17, 2021
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 70 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Meets 2010 criteria for MS

• No relapse in past 3 months

• At least mild cognitive impairment (based off of SDMT/PST score)

• Capacity to learn and self-administer intranasal insulin/placebo, or presence of a caregiver with such capacity who is willing to do it for the duration of the trial

• Untreated/on the same MS therapy for at least 6 months, with no anticipated change in the next year

• Willing to prevent pregnancy during study if female of childbearing potential

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current, active major depression

• No tricyclic antidepressant or anticonvulsant (except carbamazepine, pregabalin or gabapentin) use within 6 weeks of screening; if on oxybutynin or tolterodine, on stable dose for > 6 months without plans for changing dose in next year

• If taking selective serotonin (± norepinephrine) reuptake inhibitors, pregabalin, gabapentin, sympathomimetic, monoamine oxidase inhibitor, antipsychotic, amantadine, cholinesterase inhibitor, memantine, modafanil, armodafinil, or evening short-acting benzodiazepines, on stable dose for 6 weeks or greater

• Pregnant or nursing

• THC; illicit drug or alcohol abuse in past 3 months

• History of diabetes mellitus or insulin resistance

• Active liver disease, stage IV/V kidney disease or severe metabolic derangements

• CNS disorder other than MS or headache

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Multiple Sclerosis
• Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive
• Multiple Sclerosis, Primary Progressive
• Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting
• Multiple Sclerosis, Secondary Progressive
• Sclerosis

Intervention

Drug:
• Insulin
All patients will receive either insulin or placebo using the Vianase III N2B device during the first 24 weeks of the study.
• Placebo (Sterile diluent)
All patients will receive either insulin or placebo using Vianase III N2B device during the first 24 weeks of the study.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine	Baltimore	Maryland

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Johns Hopkins University	United States Department of Defense

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (24)

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Krupp LB, Christodoulou C, Melville P, Scherl WF, Pai LY, Muenz LR, He D, Benedict RH, Goodman A, Rizvi S, Schwid SR, Weinstock-Guttman B, Westervelt HJ, Wishart H. Multicenter randomized clinical trial of donepezil for memory impairment in multiple sclerosis. Neurology. 2011 Apr 26;76(17):1500-7. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e318218107a. — View Citation

Lacy M, Hauser M, Pliskin N, Assuras S, Valentine MO, Reder A. The effects of long-term interferon-beta-1b treatment on cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis: a 16-year longitudinal study. Mult Scler. 2013 Nov;19(13):1765-72. doi: 10.1177/1352458513485981. Epub 2013 May 7. — View Citation

Lovera JF, Frohman E, Brown TR, Bandari D, Nguyen L, Yadav V, Stuve O, Karman J, Bogardus K, Heimburger G, Cua L, Remingon G, Fowler J, Monahan T, Kilcup S, Courtney Y, McAleenan J, Butler K, Wild K, Whitham R, Bourdette D. Memantine for cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Mult Scler. 2010 Jun;16(6):715-23. doi: 10.1177/1352458510367662. Epub 2010 May 18. — View Citation

Lovera JF, Kim E, Heriza E, Fitzpatrick M, Hunziker J, Turner AP, Adams J, Stover T, Sangeorzan A, Sloan A, Howieson D, Wild K, Haselkorn J, Bourdette D. Ginkgo biloba does not improve cognitive function in MS: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Neurology. 2012 Sep 18;79(12):1278-84. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31826aac60. Epub 2012 Sep 5. — View Citation

Mitolo M, Venneri A, Wilkinson ID, Sharrack B. Cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review. J Neurol Sci. 2015 Jul 15;354(1-2):1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2015.05.004. Epub 2015 May 9. — View Citation

Morrow SA, Drake A, Zivadinov R, Munschauer F, Weinstock-Guttman B, Benedict RH. Predicting loss of employment over three years in multiple sclerosis: clinically meaningful cognitive decline. Clin Neuropsychol. 2010 Oct;24(7):1131-45. doi: 10.1080/13854046.2010.511272. Epub 2010 Sep 8. — View Citation

Morrow SA, Kaushik T, Zarevics P, Erlanger D, Bear MF, Munschauer FE, Benedict RH. The effects of L-amphetamine sulfate on cognition in MS patients: results of a randomized controlled trial. J Neurol. 2009 Jul;256(7):1095-102. doi: 10.1007/s00415-009-5074-x. Epub 2009 Mar 5. — View Citation

Patti F. Optimizing the benefit of multiple sclerosis therapy: the importance of treatment adherence. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2010 Feb 4;4:1-9. doi: 10.2147/ppa.s8230. — View Citation

Rao S. Cognitive Function in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Impairment and Treatment. IJMSC 2004;1:9-22.

Rao SM, Leo GJ, Ellington L, Nauertz T, Bernardin L, Unverzagt F. Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis. II. Impact on employment and social functioning. Neurology. 1991 May;41(5):692-6. doi: 10.1212/wnl.41.5.692. — View Citation

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Schultheis MT, Weisser V, Ang J, Elovic E, Nead R, Sestito N, Fleksher C, Millis SR. Examining the relationship between cognition and driving performance in multiple sclerosis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2010 Mar;91(3):465-73. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2009.09.026. — View Citation

Solari A, Uitdehaag B, Giuliani G, Pucci E, Taus C. Aminopyridines for symptomatic treatment in multiple sclerosis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2001;(4):CD001330. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001330. — View Citation

Strober LB, Christodoulou C, Benedict RH, Westervelt HJ, Melville P, Scherl WF, Weinstock-Guttman B, Rizvi S, Goodman AD, Krupp LB. Unemployment in multiple sclerosis: the contribution of personality and disease. Mult Scler. 2012 May;18(5):647-53. doi: 10.1177/1352458511426735. Epub 2011 Dec 19. — View Citation

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* Note: There are 24 references in all — Click here to view all references

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Assess Depression Severity, as Measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)	The BDI-II is a 21-question multiple-choice self-report inventory test for measuring the severity of depression. Scores range from zero to 63; higher scores indicate greater depression. In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the analyses include the BDI-II scores acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the scores.	Up to week 24 visit
Other	Evaluation of Impact of Study Products on Health Related Quality of Life Using the Functional Assessment of Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire (FAMS)	FAMS is a self-reported health-related quality-of-life instrument for people with multiple sclerosis. Subjects rate six quality-of-life domains: Mobility, Symptoms, Emotional well-being, General contentment, Thinking/fatigue, and Family/social well-being. Scores range from zero to 176; higher scores indicate better health-related quality of life. In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the analyses include the FAMS scores acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the score.	Up to week 24 visit
Other	Evaluation of How Overall Sleep Quality Impacts People With MS Using a Sleep Questionnaire (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index)	The sleep questionnaire asks subjects to report various aspects related to their sleep routine. Scores range from zero to 21; higher score indicates worse sleep quality. In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the analyses include the PSQIs acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the score.	Up to week 24 visit
Primary	Change in Cognitive Function as Assessed by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)	This task will be performed at five study visits. The SDMT is one of the most commonly used tests to assess processing speed in the MS population and is included in the Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS). Higher scores reflect a better outcome (range 0 to 110). In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the primary analyses include the SDMTs acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the SDMT.	Up to week 24 visit
Secondary	Number of Participants With Adverse Events Leading to Study Discontinuation	An adverse event will be defined as any occurrence or worsening of an undesirable or unintended sign, symptom (or abnormal laboratory test), or disease temporally associated with the use of a medicinal product or intervention, whether or not it is considered related to the product/intervention. We report overall adverse events in the relevant section. Here, we report adverse events that led to study discontinuation.	Up to week 24 visit
Secondary	Fingerstick Blood Glucose (Subset)	Fingerstick blood glucose levels were monitored twice within the 90 minutes following the first dose administration of study drug for the first 15 participants.	At the baseline visit, monitored twice within the 90 minutes following the first dose administration of study drug
Secondary	Change From Baseline in Cognitive Function as Assessed by the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT)	This test measures phonemic fluency. The test scores the number of words a participant can provide that begin with a specified letter within one minute, such that scores range from zero (worst) to an infinite number (better). Total score is sum of three 60-second trials. In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the primary analyses include the COWAT scores acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the score.	Up to week 24 visit
Secondary	Change From Baseline in Cognitive Function as Assessed by the California Verbal Learning Test, Second Edition (CVLT-II)	This is a verbal learning and memory test. Scores range from zero to 16; a higher number is better. In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the primary analyses include the CVLT-II scores acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the score.	Up to week 24 visit
Secondary	Change From Baseline in Cognitive Function as Assessed by the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test - Revised (BVMT-R) Delayed Recall	This is a visual, nonverbal test of learning and memory. Scores range from zero to 12; higher is better. In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the analyses include the BVMT-R delayed recall scores acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the score.	Up to week 24 visit
Secondary	Change in Cognitive Function as Assessed by the Rao-version of the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT)	The Rao-version of the PASAT evaluates processing speed, working memory, and basic addition skills. Scores range from zero to 60; higher is better. Herein we present 3-second PASAT results ("PASAT-3"). In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the analyses include PASAT-3 scores acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the SDMT.	Up to week 24 visit
Secondary	Change From Baseline in Cognitive Function as Assessed by the Judgement of Line Orientation Test (JLO)	Judgment of Line Orientation Test measures a person's ability to match the angle and orientation of lines in space. Scores range from zero to 30; higher is better. In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the analyses include JLO data acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the score.	Up to week 24 visit
Secondary	Change From Baseline in Cognitive Function as Assessed by the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Sorting Test	This test measures executive functioning, concept formation, and cognitive flexibility. Scores range from zero to 16; higher is better. In order to account for all contributed data (even for those who did not complete the study but contributed some post-randomization data in the active study phase), the analyses include DKEFS correct sort scores acquired within the active treatment phase (from baseline to week 24 visit). We then calculated and report the average change per week in the score.	Up to week 24 visit