Pilot Study of the Effects of the Desipramine on the Neurovegetative Parameters of the Child With Rett Syndrome

Summary

Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by cognitive impairment, communication dysfunction, stereotypic movement disorder, and growth failure. Rett syndrome is caused by mutations in the Methyl CpG-Binding Protein-2 (MECP2) gene and has no treatment. A mouse experimental model of Rett syndrome created by genetic invalidation of the MECP2 gene is available. It had been then observed that adult MECP2-deficient mice show respiratory alterations and found that endogenous noradrenaline helps to maintain a normal respiratory rhythm. Desipramine, a selective inhibitor of norepinephrine reuptake, seems to be efficient to reduce the respiratory alteration occuring in MECP2-deficient mice (Insem patent 2005, Villard and Roux 2006). The aim of the study is to evaluate these obtained results in MECP2-deficient mice on patients with Rett syndrome.

Timeline

Start

2009-02-17

Primary completion

2014-08-11

Completion

2017-08-21

Outcome

Missed primary endpoint

paper We did not find any significant difference in these changes between the groups (P = 0.781). PMID 29468173 ↗

Publications

• Mancini J, Dubus JC, Jouve E, Roux JC, Franco P, Lagrue E, Castelnau P, Cances C, Chaix Y, Rougeot-Jung C, Cornu C, Desportes V, Vallee L, Bahi-Buisson N, Truillet R, Attolini L, Villard L, Blin O, Micallef J. Effect of desipramine on patients with breathing disorders in RETT syndrome. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2017 Dec 27;5(2):118-127. doi: 10.1002/acn3.468. eCollection 2018 Feb.

Drugs

Indications