Purpose

This clinical trial is a single center, single dose study of the acute effects of intranasal insulin on energy metabolism and cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective and bipolar disorders, compared and healthy controls.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 40 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder with psychotic features OR - Healthy Controls (no history of DSM psychiatric diagnoses, nor history of the same in first-degree relatives)

Exclusion Criteria

  • Psychiatric hospitalization within the last 4 weeks - Unstable/active disease or potential contraindications, such as liver disease, kidney disease, uncontrolled hypertension, significant or unstable medical illness - Currently prescribed: antidiabetic agents, including oral antidiabetic medications and insulin, intranasal medication, steroids, weight loss agents, protease inhibitors, or NRTI's. - Pregnant or breast-feeding, not using an effective form of contraception for at least 3 months, and/or not abstinent for 1 month prior to enrollment - History of significant head injury - Contraindication to MRI scans (claustrophobia, cardiac pacemakers, metal clips and stents on blood vessels, artificial heart valves, artificial arms, hands, legs, etc., brain stimulator devices, implanted drug pumps, ear implants, eye implants or known metal fragments in eyes, exposure to shrapnel or metal filings, other metallic surgical hardware in vital areas, certain tattoos with metallic ink, certain transdermal patches, metal-containing IUDs). - Medical conditions preventing blood draws - History of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) within the last 3 months - BMI > 35 or body weight > 350 lbs or BMI <18 - DSM diagnosis of substance use disorder in the past month - For Healthy Controls: - Taking medication other than birth control

Study Design

Phase
Phase 2
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Other
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Intranasal Insulin (40 IU)
40 IU Novolin-R insulin will be administered one time using the ViaNase intranasal delivery device.
  • Drug: Intranasal Insulin
    40 units Novolin R administered intranasally using ViaNase device.
    Other names:
    • Novolin R

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Mclean Hospital

Study Contact

Jacey Anderson
617-855-3988
janderson75@mclean.harvard.edu

Detailed Description

Psychotic disorders are common and severe psychiatric disorders. Despite advances in understanding the pathophysiology of these disorders, more effective and tolerable treatments are still needed. Evidence suggests that energy metabolism is altered in psychotic disorders. The investigators recently developed non-invasive MRI-based techniques to quantify redox balance and ATP generation in the brain. Targeting insulin pathways in the brain may allow for modulating abnormalities in energy metabolism. The investigators seek to examine whether intranasal insulin can modulate energy metabolism and improve cognition in patients with psychotic disorders. The study will use magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) technology to measure in vivo energy metabolism processes in the brain, before and after the administration of intranasal insulin. Investigators will also measure changes in cognition with the administration of intranasal insulin.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.