Safety and Effectiveness of Botulinum Toxin in Elderly Patients With Dementia and Muscle Stiffness

Sponsor
Assistive Technology Clinic, Canada (Other)
Overall Status
Completed
CT.gov ID
NCT02212119
Collaborator
Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH (Industry), Baycrest (Other)
10
1
2
37
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Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Aim of the study is to perform a pilot study to assess the impact of Botulinum toxin on muscle tone, and caregiver burden in individuals who are cognitively impaired and who are fully dependent.

The primary objective is to confirm proof of principle that paratonic rigidity and the consequences associated with it can be reduced with injection of Botulinum toxin injections resulting in reduced care-giver burden.

The secondary objectives are to determine optimal time points for evaluation of efficacy in this patient population and whether the time period is sufficient for washout of Botulinum toxin effect; determine most salient and sensitive outcome measures; identify obstacles in data gathering; and lastly, to determine feasibility of battery of assessments in this pilot study.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
Phase 2

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Actual Enrollment :
10 participants
Allocation:
Randomized
Intervention Model:
Crossover Assignment
Masking:
Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose:
Treatment
Official Title:
A Randomized, Placebo Controlled Trial of Botulinum Toxin for Paratonic Rigidity in People With Advanced Cognitive Impairment
Study Start Date :
Dec 1, 2010
Actual Primary Completion Date :
Feb 1, 2013
Actual Study Completion Date :
Jan 1, 2014

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Saline

Saline injection up to 5 cc in arm with paratonia (one time injection)

Drug: Saline

Active Comparator: Botulinum Toxin

Up to 300 U (5 cc) of Botulinum toxin diluted 2:1 (2 cc per 100 U of Botulinum toxin) (one time injection)

Drug: Botulinum Toxin
Other Names:
  • Xeomin
  • Outcome Measures

    Primary Outcome Measures

    1. Impact on care-giver burden [6 weeks for primary outcome, 32 weeks for entire study]

      Impact on caregiver burden in providing upper extremity care. Measured by the Carer Burden Scale which includes four items (cleaning the palm, cutting the fingernails, dressing, cleaning under the armpit). Each item rated on five point Likert scale ("no difficulty" to "cannot do task").

    Secondary Outcome Measures

    1. Visual Analogue Scale [6 weeks for secondary outcome, 32 weeks for entire study]

      Completed by the professional caregiver that is caring for the patient to assess perception of ease of caregiving. Consists of 100 mm line with anchors of 0 "giving care to the residents is very difficult" and 100 "giving care to the residents is very easy"

    2. Joint angle measurement [6 weeks for secondary outcome, 32 weeks for entire study]

      Joint angle measurements were used reflecting range of motion. Used as a surrogate measure for severity of paratonia

    3. Pain [6 weeks for secondary outcome, 32 weeks for entire study]

      Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) Scale used to evaluate correlates of pain and determine whether Botulinum toxin treatment reduces discomfort of morning care. Consists of 5 items (breathing, negative vocalization, facial expression, body language and consolability), scored on a 0-2 point scale and then summed to arrive at a total scale.

    4. Global Assessment [6 weeks for secondary outcome, 32 weeks for entire study]

      Overall response to treatment evaluated by study investigator and by professional caregiver caring for patient using the global assessment scale. A score of -4 indicates very marked worsening, 0 no change, and +4 very marked improvement.

    Eligibility Criteria

    Criteria

    Ages Eligible for Study:
    N/A and Older
    Sexes Eligible for Study:
    All
    Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
    No
    Inclusion Criteria:
    • Severe cognitive impairment (complete dependency in all activities of daily living (ADLs)

    • Diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia,or frontotemporal dementia

    • Score> 3 on the paratonic assessment instrument, with paratonic rigidity in an arm(s) interfering in the provision of care

    Exclusion Criteria:
    • Alternate etiologies for increased tone

    • Botulinum toxin 6 months preceding the study

    Contacts and Locations

    Locations

    Site City State Country Postal Code
    1 Assistive Technology Clinic at Baycrest Toronto Ontario Canada M6A 2E1

    Sponsors and Collaborators

    • Assistive Technology Clinic, Canada
    • Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH
    • Baycrest

    Investigators

    • Principal Investigator: Galit Kleiner-Fisman, MD, University of Toronto, Baycrest

    Study Documents (Full-Text)

    None provided.

    More Information

    Publications

    Responsible Party:
    Dr. Galit Kleiner-Fisman, Medical Director, Assistive Technology Clinic, Assistant Professor Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Assistive Technology Clinic, Canada
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT02212119
    Other Study ID Numbers:
    • NT-036
    First Posted:
    Aug 8, 2014
    Last Update Posted:
    Aug 8, 2014
    Last Verified:
    Aug 1, 2014
    Keywords provided by Dr. Galit Kleiner-Fisman, Medical Director, Assistive Technology Clinic, Assistant Professor Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Assistive Technology Clinic, Canada
    Additional relevant MeSH terms:

    Study Results

    No Results Posted as of Aug 8, 2014