Propranolol in Primary Progressive Aphasia

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to find out how the language of people with Primary Progressive Aphasia is affected by Propranolol. Propranolol is not FDA approved for the treatment of Primary Progressive Aphasia. Propranolol is FDA approved for the treatment of heart conditions such as blood pressure. This research is being done because there are currently no drug treatment options for language impairments and anxiety often experienced by people with Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Condition

  • Aphasia, Primary Progressive

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 50 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • 1. Age: 50 and older - 2. Primary Progressive Aphasia diagnosis - 3. Native English speaker

Exclusion Criteria

  • 1. Unable to provide consent - 2. Taking alpha 2 agonists (clonidine and guanfacine) - 3. Other major psychological or neurological diagnosis - 4. Major head trauma that contributed to their condition - 5. Allergic reaction to adhesives - 6. Uncorrected vision/hearing impairments - 7. Diabetes - 8. Reactive airway disease - 9. Untreated hypothyroidism - 10. Bradyarrhythmia - 11. Unexplained syncope - 12. Pregnancy (assessed verbally on the days of MR imaging) - 13. Drugs that interact with propranolol, such as alpha 2 agonists - 14. Claustrophobia, inner ear implants, aneurysm or other surgical clips, metal foreign bodies in eye, pacemaker or other contraindication to MR scanning. Subjects with any implanted device that cannot be verified as MRI compliant will be excluded.

Study Design

Phase
Early Phase 1
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Crossover Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Propanolol and MRI 		Participants will receive propranolol via oral capsule. The drug dosage will be titrated slowly to ensure the drug is tolerated well.
  • Drug: Propranolol
    Propranolol will be given on a titration schedule in which participants will begin with small doses of the drug and increase to a larger dosage over the course of three weeks. Propranolol will be taken for a total of 9 weeks.
  • Device: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) will be performed at 3 Tesla and 7 Tesla, for both propranolol and placebo arms.
Placebo Comparator
Placebo and MRI 		Participants will receive placebo via oral capsule.
  • Device: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) will be performed at 3 Tesla and 7 Tesla, for both propranolol and placebo arms.
  • Drug: Placebo
    Placebo will be given on the same schedule as the propranolol regime.

Recruiting Locations

University of Missouri-Columbia
Columbia 4381982, Missouri 4398678 65212
Contact:
David Beversdorf, MD
573-882-6081
beversdorfd@health.missouri.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
University of Missouri-Columbia

Study Contact

David Beversdorf, MD
573-882-6081
beversdorfd@health.missouri.edu