RCT of Methotrexate Added to Treatment As Usual in Schizophrenia

Summary

The aim of the this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of methotrexate added to treatment as usual on positive and negative symptoms, cognitive and social functioning and quality of life of patients suffering from schizophrenia.

Timeline

Start

2013-12

Primary completion

2015-07

Completion

2015-08

Publications

• Background Chaudhry IB, Hallak J, Husain N, Minhas F, Stirling J, Richardson P, Dursun S, Dunn G, Deakin B. Minocycline benefits negative symptoms in early schizophrenia: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in patients on standard treatment. J Psychopharmacol. 2012 Sep;26(9):1185-93. doi: 10.1177/0269881112444941. Epub 2012 Apr 23.
• Background Behrens MM, Ali SS, Dugan LL. Interleukin-6 mediates the increase in NADPH-oxidase in the ketamine model of schizophrenia. J Neurosci. 2008 Dec 17;28(51):13957-66. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4457-08.2008.
• Background Bernstein HG, Steiner J, Bogerts B. Glial cells in schizophrenia: pathophysiological significance and possible consequences for therapy. Expert Rev Neurother. 2009 Jul;9(7):1059-71. doi: 10.1586/ern.09.59.
• Background Busse S, Busse M, Schiltz K, Bielau H, Gos T, Brisch R, Mawrin C, Schmitt A, Jordan W, Muller UJ, Bernstein HG, Bogerts B, Steiner J. Different distribution patterns of lymphocytes and microglia in the hippocampus of patients with residual versus paranoid schizophrenia: further evidence for disease course-related immune alterations? Brain Behav Immun. 2012 Nov;26(8):1273-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2012.08.005. Epub 2012 Aug 14.
• Background Cronstein BN. Low-dose methotrexate: a mainstay in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Pharmacol Rev. 2005 Jun;57(2):163-72. doi: 10.1124/pr.57.2.3.
• Background Doorduin J, de Vries EF, Willemsen AT, de Groot JC, Dierckx RA, Klein HC. Neuroinflammation in schizophrenia-related psychosis: a PET study. J Nucl Med. 2009 Nov;50(11):1801-7. doi: 10.2967/jnumed.109.066647. Epub 2009 Oct 16.
• Background Drzyzga L, Obuchowicz E, Marcinowska A, Herman ZS. Cytokines in schizophrenia and the effects of antipsychotic drugs. Brain Behav Immun. 2006 Nov;20(6):532-45. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2006.02.002. Epub 2006 Apr 3.
• Background Godfrey PS, Toone BK, Carney MW, Flynn TG, Bottiglieri T, Laundy M, Chanarin I, Reynolds EH. Enhancement of recovery from psychiatric illness by methylfolate. Lancet. 1990 Aug 18;336(8712):392-5. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(90)91942-4.
• Background Gong K, Zhang Z, Sun X, Zhang X, Li A, Yan J, Luo Q, Gao Y, Feng Y. The nonspecific anti-inflammatory therapy with methotrexate for patients with chronic heart failure. Am Heart J. 2006 Jan;151(1):62-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2005.02.040.
• Background Johnston A, Gudjonsson JE, Sigmundsdottir H, Ludviksson BR, Valdimarsson H. The anti-inflammatory action of methotrexate is not mediated by lymphocyte apoptosis, but by the suppression of activation and adhesion molecules. Clin Immunol. 2005 Feb;114(2):154-63. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2004.09.001.
• Background Mansur RB, Zugman A, Asevedo EM, da Cunha GR, Bressan RA, Brietzke E. Cytokines in schizophrenia: possible role of anti-inflammatory medications in clinical and preclinical stages. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2012 Jun;66(4):247-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2012.02354.x.
• Background Miller BJ, Buckley P, Seabolt W, Mellor A, Kirkpatrick B. Meta-analysis of cytokine alterations in schizophrenia: clinical status and antipsychotic effects. Biol Psychiatry. 2011 Oct 1;70(7):663-71. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.04.013. Epub 2011 Jun 8.
• Background Monji A, Kato T, Kanba S. Cytokines and schizophrenia: Microglia hypothesis of schizophrenia. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2009 Jun;63(3):257-65. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2009.01945.x.
• Background Morgan SL, Baggott JE, Vaughn WH, Austin JS, Veitch TA, Lee JY, Koopman WJ, Krumdieck CL, Alarcon GS. Supplementation with folic acid during methotrexate therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 1994 Dec 1;121(11):833-41. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-121-11-199412010-00002.
• Background Myint AM. Kynurenines: from the perspective of major psychiatric disorders. FEBS J. 2012 Apr;279(8):1375-85. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2012.08551.x. Epub 2012 Mar 27.
• Background Potvin S, Stip E, Sepehry AA, Gendron A, Bah R, Kouassi E. Inflammatory cytokine alterations in schizophrenia: a systematic quantitative review. Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Apr 15;63(8):801-8. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.09.024. Epub 2007 Nov 19.
• Background Procter A. Enhancement of recovery from psychiatric illness by methylfolate. Br J Psychiatry. 1991 Aug;159:271-2. doi: 10.1192/bjp.159.2.271.
• Background Rajagopalan PT, Zhang Z, McCourt L, Dwyer M, Benkovic SJ, Hammes GG. Interaction of dihydrofolate reductase with methotrexate: ensemble and single-molecule kinetics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Oct 15;99(21):13481-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.172501499. Epub 2002 Oct 1.
• Background Schulte-Herbruggen O, Nassenstein C, Lommatzsch M, Quarcoo D, Renz H, Braun A. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 regulate secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in human monocytes. J Neuroimmunol. 2005 Mar;160(1-2):204-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2004.10.026. Epub 2004 Dec 22.
• Background van Berckel BN, Bossong MG, Boellaard R, Kloet R, Schuitemaker A, Caspers E, Luurtsema G, Windhorst AD, Cahn W, Lammertsma AA, Kahn RS. Microglia activation in recent-onset schizophrenia: a quantitative (R)-[11C]PK11195 positron emission tomography study. Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Nov 1;64(9):820-2. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.04.025. Epub 2008 Jun 4.
• Background Whittle SL, Hughes RA. Folate supplementation and methotrexate treatment in rheumatoid arthritis: a review. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2004 Mar;43(3):267-71. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/keh088. Epub 2004 Jan 6.
• Background Zhang Z, Zhao P, Li A, Lv X, Gao Y, Sun H, Ding Y, Liu J. Effects of methotrexate on plasma cytokines and cardiac remodeling and function in postmyocarditis rats. Mediators Inflamm. 2009;2009:389720. doi: 10.1155/2009/389720. Epub 2009 Oct 26.
• Chaudhry IB, Husain N, ur Rahman R, Husain MO, Hamirani MM, Kazmi A, Baig S, Haddad PM, Buch MH, Qureshi I, Mehmood N, Kiran T, Fu B, Afsar S, Deakin B. A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled 12- week feasibility trial of methotrexate added to treatment as usual in early schizophrenia: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. Trials. 2015 Jan 7;16:9. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-16-9.

Drugs

Indications