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Pilot RECAP Study in Healthy Volunteers (RECAP)

Primary Purpose

Psychedelic Experiences, Amnesia

Status
Completed
Phase
Phase 1
Locations
United States
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
Psilocybin and Midazolam
Sponsored by
University of Wisconsin, Madison
About
Eligibility
Locations
Arms
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional treatment trial for Psychedelic Experiences focused on measuring Memory, Amnesia, Healthy Volunteer

Eligibility Criteria

21 Years - 65 Years (Adult, Older Adult)All SexesAccepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 21 to 65 years at screening
  • Medically healthy (does not meet criteria for an exclusionary medical condition)
  • No current DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis
  • No current use of psychotropic medications
  • Ability/willingness to complete all study activities
  • Use of acceptable contraceptive methods (sexually active males and women of childbearing potential)
  • Speaks and reads English
  • No use of psychedelic drugs within prior 3 months of dosing visit
  • Able to swallow oral medications

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy
  • Current exclusionary medical illness
  • Current DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis and/or suicidal thoughts/behavior within prior 12 months
  • Clinically significant safety lab abnormalities (i.e., Complete Blood Count with Differential, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, and urinalysis)
  • Clinically significant electrocardiogram (ECG)
  • Hypertension or tachycardia
  • First degree relative(s) with a history of schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, major depressive disorder with psychotic features

Sites / Locations

  • UWHealth, 600 Highland Avenue

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm Type

Experimental

Arm Label

Single Arm

Arm Description

Medically and psychiatrically healthy adults ages 21 to 65 years will receive a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin combined with repeated boluses of midazolam administered in a clinically supportive setting.

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

Number of participants scoring >50 percent of normative scores on selected questions from the Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) questionnaire asked during the dosing session Day 0.
Participants will complete a selection of several questions from the ASC questionnaire that strongly associate positively or negatively with later antidepressant effect of psilocybin in patients with treatment resistant depression or capture classic features of the psychedelic experience. During the dosing session, investigator will repeatedly ask selected items from the ASC scale to get a "real time" measure of what the participants are experiencing. Each of these items will be scored separately. Higher score are indicative of a more intense psychedelic experience.
Number of participants scoring < 50 percent on post-dosing Day 1 of the mean normative score of ASC data from healthy volunteers administered the ASC questionnaire post-dosing
To assess the degree to which midazolam has induced amnesia for the psychedelic experience, participants will complete the full ASC. The ASC is a 94 item questionaire. In response to each item, participants are asked to mark their experience somewhere between 'No, not more than usual' to 'Yes, much more than usual'. Normal waking consciousness corresponds to a mark at the very left end of the scale, i.e. 'No, Not more than usual'. Responses marked more towards right side of the range are considered high on psychedelic experience.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Accuracy on post-dosing Day 1 in recognizing ASC items asked during the dosing session Day 0 (number of correct versus distractor items)
Participants will undergo a yes-no ASC recognition task regarding their memory for internally and externally focused phenomenological content of their experience.
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of adverse event incidences in each severity grade.
Adverse event grading will be done using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE)Adverse events will be graded from Grade 1-5 depending on severity. Grade 1 - mild, grade 2 - moderate, grade 3 - severe, grade 4 - Life threatening, grade 5 - Fatal. Adverse events will be collected on an Adverse Event Log throughout the study.
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants requiring medical attention due to adverse events
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants requiring psychiatric attention due to adverse events
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants leading to withdrawal from study due to adverse events
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants with severe adverse events
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants with new concomitant medication due to adverse events

Full Information

First Posted
April 1, 2021
Last Updated
May 18, 2023
Sponsor
University of Wisconsin, Madison
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1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number
NCT04842045
Brief Title
Pilot RECAP Study in Healthy Volunteers
Acronym
RECAP
Official Title
Recall of Experience and Conscious Awareness in Psilocybin Treatment of Depression (The RECAP Study): Pilot Phase in Healthy Adult Volunteers
Study Type
Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date
May 2023
Overall Recruitment Status
Completed
Study Start Date
May 21, 2021 (Actual)
Primary Completion Date
November 17, 2022 (Actual)
Study Completion Date
November 17, 2022 (Actual)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Responsible Party, by Official Title
Sponsor
Name of the Sponsor
University of Wisconsin, Madison

4. Oversight

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product
Yes
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product
No
Data Monitoring Committee
Yes

5. Study Description

Brief Summary
The primary objective of the RECAP Study Program is to investigate the role played by conscious experience in the antidepressant effects of the psychedelic agent psilocybin. This pilot dosing study (PILOT RECAP) is designed to determine the optimal dose of midazolam that allows a psychedelic experience to occur while inducing amnesia for the experience. This is an essential step required for subsequent evaluation of the role of memory for the psychedelic experience in the antidepressant effects of psilocybin in the full RECAP study.
Detailed Description
The PILOT RECAP Study will investigate the effect of co- administering the amnestic agent midazolam with a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin on the induction of a psychedelic experience and subsequent memory for the experience with the goal of identifying an optimal dosing regimen of midazolam that will allow a psychedelic experience to occur while also inducing amnesia for the experience. Identifying this midazolam dosing regimen will allow us in a subsequent stage of the RECAP program to test whether memory for the psychedelic experience is required/important for psilocybin to produce longer-term antidepressant effects. This is a phase 1 study in psychiatrically and medically healthy volunteers. Given this, there is no disease background for PILOT RECAP per se. However, the purpose of PILOT RECAP is to identify an optimal midazolam dosing schedule to be used in a subsequent study (RECAP) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The investigational treatment for PILOT RECAP is a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin combined with repeated intravenous (IV) boluses of midazolam dosed at levels known to maintain conscious experience while inducing subsequent amnesia for the experience upon its conclusion. Because PILOT RECAP is the first study to examine this drug combination, no data are currently available on this approach. Psilocybin + midazolam will be administered within a "Set and Setting" (SaS) protocol that provides psychoeducation and therapeutic support prior to, during, and following psychedelic dosing, and that has been standard procedure for recent studies of psilocybin in humans. It is believed that this SaS approach enhances clinical efficacy and safety. SaS is an integral component of the PILOT RECAP intervention. The PILOT RECAP study will not enroll vulnerable populations. During this study, participants are asked to: Refrain from use of psychotropic medications. Use of such medications prior to psilocybin/midazolam dosing will result in a participant being discontinued from the study. Refrain from use of any illegal psychoactive substances from screening until study termination. Refrain from using legal psychoactive substance for the following defined time periods (the exception is caffeine): Tobacco and Nicotine: from screening until study termination Alcohol: 72 hours prior to the Dosing Visit

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
Psychedelic Experiences, Amnesia
Keywords
Memory, Amnesia, Healthy Volunteer

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose
Treatment
Study Phase
Phase 1
Interventional Study Model
Single Group Assignment
Model Description
Open trial of a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin combined with repeated boluses of midazolam in medically and psychiatrically healthy volunteers.
Masking
None (Open Label)
Allocation
N/A
Enrollment
8 (Actual)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title
Single Arm
Arm Type
Experimental
Arm Description
Medically and psychiatrically healthy adults ages 21 to 65 years will receive a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin combined with repeated boluses of midazolam administered in a clinically supportive setting.
Intervention Type
Drug
Intervention Name(s)
Psilocybin and Midazolam
Other Intervention Name(s)
Psilocybine, Psilocibin, benzodiazepine
Intervention Description
The psilocybin used in this study is synthetically manufactured in a laboratory and meets quality specifications suitable for human research use. The active drug is encapsulated using a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) capsule and contains 25 mg of psilocybin. The midazolam in this study will be administered intravenously. The total dose administered to a given subject is dependent on the individual's level of amnesia, sedation scale score, age, and weight.
Primary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Number of participants scoring >50 percent of normative scores on selected questions from the Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) questionnaire asked during the dosing session Day 0.
Description
Participants will complete a selection of several questions from the ASC questionnaire that strongly associate positively or negatively with later antidepressant effect of psilocybin in patients with treatment resistant depression or capture classic features of the psychedelic experience. During the dosing session, investigator will repeatedly ask selected items from the ASC scale to get a "real time" measure of what the participants are experiencing. Each of these items will be scored separately. Higher score are indicative of a more intense psychedelic experience.
Time Frame
On Day 14
Title
Number of participants scoring < 50 percent on post-dosing Day 1 of the mean normative score of ASC data from healthy volunteers administered the ASC questionnaire post-dosing
Description
To assess the degree to which midazolam has induced amnesia for the psychedelic experience, participants will complete the full ASC. The ASC is a 94 item questionaire. In response to each item, participants are asked to mark their experience somewhere between 'No, not more than usual' to 'Yes, much more than usual'. Normal waking consciousness corresponds to a mark at the very left end of the scale, i.e. 'No, Not more than usual'. Responses marked more towards right side of the range are considered high on psychedelic experience.
Time Frame
On Day 15
Secondary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Accuracy on post-dosing Day 1 in recognizing ASC items asked during the dosing session Day 0 (number of correct versus distractor items)
Description
Participants will undergo a yes-no ASC recognition task regarding their memory for internally and externally focused phenomenological content of their experience.
Time Frame
On Day 15
Title
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of adverse event incidences in each severity grade.
Description
Adverse event grading will be done using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE)Adverse events will be graded from Grade 1-5 depending on severity. Grade 1 - mild, grade 2 - moderate, grade 3 - severe, grade 4 - Life threatening, grade 5 - Fatal. Adverse events will be collected on an Adverse Event Log throughout the study.
Time Frame
up to 4 weeks
Title
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants requiring medical attention due to adverse events
Time Frame
up to 4 weeks
Title
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants requiring psychiatric attention due to adverse events
Time Frame
up to 4 weeks
Title
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants leading to withdrawal from study due to adverse events
Time Frame
up to 4 weeks
Title
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants with severe adverse events
Time Frame
up to 4 weeks
Title
Safety of psilocybin-midazolam co-administration assessed by number of participants with new concomitant medication due to adverse events
Time Frame
up to 4 weeks

10. Eligibility

Sex
All
Minimum Age & Unit of Time
21 Years
Maximum Age & Unit of Time
65 Years
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Age 21 to 65 years at screening Medically healthy (does not meet criteria for an exclusionary medical condition) No current DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis No current use of psychotropic medications Ability/willingness to complete all study activities Use of acceptable contraceptive methods (sexually active males and women of childbearing potential) Speaks and reads English No use of psychedelic drugs within prior 3 months of dosing visit Able to swallow oral medications Exclusion Criteria: Pregnancy Current exclusionary medical illness Current DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis and/or suicidal thoughts/behavior within prior 12 months Clinically significant safety lab abnormalities (i.e., Complete Blood Count with Differential, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, and urinalysis) Clinically significant electrocardiogram (ECG) Hypertension or tachycardia First degree relative(s) with a history of schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, major depressive disorder with psychotic features
Overall Study Officials:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
Christopher R Nicholas, MD,PHD
Organizational Affiliation
University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, Wisconsin, United State, 53715
Official's Role
Principal Investigator
Facility Information:
Facility Name
UWHealth, 600 Highland Avenue
City
Madison
State/Province
Wisconsin
ZIP/Postal Code
53792
Country
United States

12. IPD Sharing Statement

Plan to Share IPD
No

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Pilot RECAP Study in Healthy Volunteers

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