Investigation of Psychophysiological Response to Aversive Stimuli Over Time With Omega-3

Sponsor
Yale-NUS College (Other)
Overall Status
Completed
CT.gov ID
NCT03749824
Collaborator
(none)
133
2
48

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

This study investigates the psychophysiological responses to aversive stimuli in a population of 133 children clinically diagnosed with conduct disorder (CD) and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants were administered with either omega-3 or placebo for a period of 6 months and were exposed to three stimuli every three months: 1) a loud sound, 2) threatening photographs from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS), and 3) the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST). Participants' psychophysiological features of heart rate and galvanic skin conductance were measured and analyzed in relation to their omega-3/placebo condition clinical diagnosis.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Dietary Supplement: Omega-3
  • Dietary Supplement: Placebo Capsules
N/A

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Actual Enrollment :
133 participants
Allocation:
Randomized
Intervention Model:
Parallel Assignment
Masking:
Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose:
Health Services Research
Official Title:
Investigation of Psychophysiological Response to Aversive Stimuli Over Time With Omega-3
Actual Study Start Date :
Aug 1, 2011
Actual Primary Completion Date :
Aug 1, 2015
Actual Study Completion Date :
Aug 1, 2015

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: Omega-3

Children in this group will be given 400 mg of DHA and 600 mg of EPA. Caregivers will be instructed to give two 500mg Omega-3 capsules twice a day, at breakfast and at the evening meal for 6 months. Parents will be seen by the attending on a monthly basis for standard treatment procedure.

Dietary Supplement: Omega-3
Omega-3 supplement is a highly concentrated fish oil brain booster supplement that helps compensate for the neurocognitive and brain dysfunction which acts as a predisposition to antisocial and violent behaviour. Individuals with antisocial personality disorder have been found to show an 11% reduction in gray matter in the prefrontal cortex (Raine et al. 2001), and structural prefrontal impairments are hypothesised to result in disinhibition of limbic subcortical structures that give rise to aggressive behaviour. Omega-3 (specifically DHA) is known to play a key role in neuronal structure and function.

Placebo Comparator: Placebo Capsules

Children in this group will be given two placebo capsules twice daily; at breakfast and at the evening meal for a total period of 6 months.

Dietary Supplement: Placebo Capsules
Children in this group will be given two placebo capsules twice daily; at breakfast and at the evening meal for a total period of 6 months.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

  1. Change from Baseline Heart Rate at 6 months [7 minutes each at 0 months and 6 months]

    For Trier Social Stress Task

  2. Change from Baseline Skin Conductance Response at 6 months [4 minutes each at 0 months and 6 months]

    For loud sound

  3. Change from Baseline Skin Conductance Response at 6 months [4 minutes each at 0 months and 6 months]

    For threatening photographs

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:
7 Years to 16 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
No
Inclusion Criteria:
  1. Subjects between ages 7 and 16 years

  2. Subjects who fulfil all criteria for a DSM-IV diagnosis of ADHD, conduct disorder, or oppositional defiant disorder

  3. Subjects with willingness to participate in a randomized, double-blind controlled trial

  4. Subjects with complete written, informed parental consent and child assent

  5. Subjects with IQ of 70 or more

Exclusion Criteria:
  1. Subjects who have IQ in the below 70

  2. Subjects who are younger than 7 years old or older than 16 years old

  3. Those without written parental consent

  4. Those with brain pathology such as serious head injury, epilepsy, etc.

Contacts and Locations

Locations

No locations specified.

Sponsors and Collaborators

  • Yale-NUS College

Investigators

  • Study Director: Daniel Fung, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore

Study Documents (Full-Text)

None provided.

More Information

Publications

None provided.
Responsible Party:
Jean Liu, Assistant Professor, Yale-NUS College
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT03749824
Other Study ID Numbers:
  • YNC-SASSI-Quanti-2
First Posted:
Nov 21, 2018
Last Update Posted:
Nov 21, 2018
Last Verified:
Nov 1, 2018
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
No
Plan to Share IPD:
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product:
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product:
No
Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Study Results

No Results Posted as of Nov 21, 2018