This study will compare the effects of gabapentin alone, and gabapentin + donepezil given together in two types of experimental electrical pain tests in up to 48 healthy male subjects (after 24 recruited in the first cohort an interim analysis will be performed). The study is a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, 3 was cross-over design study with incomplete block design and 4 treatment options. Placebo, gabapentin alone (lower dose and higher dose) or gabapentin (lower dose) with donepezil.
This study will compare the effects of gabapentin alone, and gabapentin + donepezil given together in two types of experimental electrical pain tests which will be conducted on the forearm and the lower leg, in 24 healthy male subjects initially. Gabapentin (a drug for treatment of seizure disorders) is one of the drugs being used for the treatment of pain caused by the damage to the nerves. Donepezil is a treatment to improve memory in patients with Alzheimer's disease. 24 more subjects may be recruited following a formal analysis during the trial (called interim analysis), if required for optimal scientific value. The study consists of 1 screening visit,1 visit to establish the baseline pain recordings before any treatment is given, then 3 treatment sessions, followed by a followup visit. Each treatment session consists of 12 days of dosing at home and 2 inpatient days for dosing and pain tests. Each volunteer takes part in 3 treatment sessions. In total, the study will last 15 weeks for each volunteer. There will be 4 treatment options: placebo, higher dose of gabapentin, low dose of gabapentin, low dose of gabapentin + donepezil. All subjects will receive the last two options and one out of the first two options, in a random order selected by a computer before the study starts; neither the volunteers nor the persons conducting the pain assessments nor the study team will know which treatment the volunteers receive during the visits (known as a randomised, double-blind study). The study will be conducted in a specialist clinical research unit with adequate facilities with regard to safety and compliance. The results of the tests in the study will help to understand the effects of gabapentin and donepezil together to design future clinical trials.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
48
Repeat, oral dose
Repeat, oral dose
Placebo to donepezil, Repeat, oral dose
GSK Investigational Site
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Area of pin-prick hyperalgesia
Change in Area between treatment arms (compared to baseline), measured during the electrical hyperalgesia model using 26 Milli Neuton(mN) von Frey filament
Time frame: Change from baseline visit to day 14 of treatment sessions
Area of touch-evoked allodynia
Change in Area between treatment arms (compared to baseline), measured during the electrical hyperalgesia model using a cotton bud
Time frame: Change from baseline visit to day 14 of treatment sessions
Pain threshold
Change in threshold between treatment arms (compared to baseline), measured from single electrical stimulation of sural nerve
Time frame: Change from baseline visit to day 14 of treatment sessions
Ongoing pain intensity rating
Change in intensity between treatment arms (compared to baseline), measured from 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) where 0=no pain, 10=maximum pain imaginable
Time frame: Change from baseline visit to day 14 of treatment sessions
Pain Tolerance
Change in tolerance between treatment arms(compared to baseline), measured from single electrical stimulation of sural nerve
Time frame: Change from baseline visit to day 14 of treatment sessions
Pain Temporal Summation
Change in temporal summation between treatment arms (compared to baseline), measured from repetitive electrical stimulation of sural nerve
Time frame: Change from baseline visit to day 14 of treatment sessions
Intensity of flare
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Placebo to gabapentin, Repeat, oral dose
Repeat, oral dose
Change in intensity between treatment arms (compared to baseline), measured from Laser Doppler imaging evoked by electrical hyperalgesia model
Time frame: Change from baseline visit to day 14 of treatment sessions