Investigation of Intranasal Oxytocin on Relapse Risk in Cocaine-dependent Patients.

Summary

This proposal describes a combined laboratory and clinical trial preliminary investigation to advance medication development for cocaine dependence. The main objective is to test whether intranasal Oxytocin could reduce relapse risk by reducing stress sensitivity. To measure the stress sensitivity, this study will evaluate a new stress challenge: a) Intranasal desmopressin, a vasopressin analog, will be used an endocrine stressor; its effects will be evaluated by serial measurements of serum Adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH), and self reports; b) if pretreatment with intranasal oxytocin dampens the ACTH and subjective response to intranasal desmopressin. These measures will be tested during a 7-day inpatient abstinence induction hospitalization. For those patients with family and work obligations, an outpatient abstinence induction procedure is available. The response to the desmopressin challenge will be compared to a cohort of matched control subjects. After abstinence induction, cocaine dependent patients enter a 6-week, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 24 IU of intranasal oxytocin vs. placebo, to monitor if this reduces the relapse risk.

Timeline

Start

2015-03

Primary completion

2018-02-14

Completion

2018-02-14

Publications

• Background Araya AV, Rojas P, Fritsch R, Rojas R, Herrera L, Rojas G, Gatica H, Silva H, Fiedler JL. Early response to venlafaxine antidepressant correlates with lower ACTH levels prior to pharmacological treatment. Endocrine. 2006 Dec;30(3):289-98. doi: 10.1007/s12020-006-0007-2.
• Background Manning M, Stoev S, Chini B, Durroux T, Mouillac B, Guillon G. Peptide and non-peptide agonists and antagonists for the vasopressin and oxytocin V1a, V1b, V2 and OT receptors: research tools and potential therapeutic agents. Prog Brain Res. 2008;170:473-512. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(08)00437-8.
• Background Rodrigues SM, Saslow LR, Garcia N, John OP, Keltner D. Oxytocin receptor genetic variation relates to empathy and stress reactivity in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Dec 15;106(50):21437-41. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0909579106. Epub 2009 Nov 23.
• Background Suzuki Y, Yamamoto S, Umegaki H, Onishi J, Mogi N, Fujishiro H, Iguchi A. Smell identification test as an indicator for cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2004 Aug;19(8):727-33. doi: 10.1002/gps.1161.
• Background Weiss RD, Griffin ML, Hufford C, Muenz LR, Najavits LM, Jansson SB, Kogan J, Thompson HJ. Early prediction of initiation of abstinence from cocaine. Use of a craving questionnaire. Am J Addict. 1997 Summer;6(3):224-31.

Drugs

Indications