CALM-IT is a Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over clinical trial. Safety and efficacy of cannabidiol (CBD) capsules assessed for managing agitation in patients with AD and to identify novel biomarkers of agitation severity and treatment response.
This study will look at whether CBD is an effective treatment for agitation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This naturally derived CBD is highly pure (99%) and made by a manufacturer who meets Health Canada guidelines Cannabis products are legal for purchase in Canada. Agitation is common in AD and is known to correlate with physical health problems such as falls and weight loss, AD progression, and caregiver burden. Current treatments for agitation in AD are not beneficial for everyone and there are concerns regarding their safety. Treating agitation is important in improving the quality of life of AD patients and their families and there is a need to identify safer and more effective treatments for agitation in AD. The structure of this trial is called a "cross-over study". Participants will be randomized to receive either CBD or placebo during the first of two treatment phases. They will then cross-over to the opposite treatment during the second treatment phase. Participants will be on the study treatment for a total of 19 weeks and then will be followed for 4 more weeks after finishing the study treatment. There will be 12 study visits approximately every 2 weeks and 8 telephone visits every week during the study. In addition to looking at the effectiveness of CBD in treating agitation, the researchers will also look at whether it is beneficial for other relevant outcomes for patients with AD including overall neuropsychiatric symptoms, caregiver distress, cognition, nutritional status, and pain.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
40
Participants in this arm will receive CBD for 8 weeks during the first treatment period. They will then receive a two-week single-blind placebo washout before moving into the second 8-week treatment period, during which they will receive the opposite study treatment than the one given in the first treatment period.
Participants in this arm will receive placebo for 8 weeks during the first treatment period. They will then receive a two-week single-blind placebo washout before moving into the second 8-week treatment period, during which they will receive the opposite study treatment than the one given in the first treatment period.
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
RECRUITINGLondon Health Sciences Centre
London, Ontario, Canada
RECRUITINGSunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Agitation - Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI)
A 29-point scale that measures agitation in two dimensions, verbal and physical, each of which having two poles, aggressive and on-aggressive. Scores range from 29-203 points, with a higher score indicating a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline (0 Weeks) to 22 Weeks
Behavior - Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Clinician Scale (NPI-C Agitation/NPI-NH)
NPI-C agitation is a widely used assessment of behaviour disturbances in dementia, including: apathy agitation, delusions, hallucinations, depression, euphoria, aberrant motor behaviour, irritability, disinhibition, anxiety, sleeping, and eating. NPI-NH is a caregiver-rated scale that is widely used to assess behavioral disturbances in dementia as well as caregiver distress. These behaviours include: delusions, hallucinations, agitation, aggression, depression/dysphoria, anxiety, elation/euphoria, apathy/indifference, disinhibition, irritability/lability, aberrant motor behavior, sleep, appetite and eating disorders, and aberrant vocalizations. The frequency and severity of these symptoms are judged on a 4-point and 3-point scale, respectively. Scores range from 0-144 points, with a higher score indicating a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline (0 Weeks) to 22 Weeks
Cognition - Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (sMMSE)
Measures global cognition, and assesses orientation to time and place, immediate recall, short-term verbal memory, calculation, language, and construct ability. Scores range from 0-30 points, with a lower score indicating a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline (0 Weeks) to 22 Weeks
Weight
Weight will be collected in kilograms. A change of 7% in weight will be considered clinically significant change.
Time frame: Baseline (0 Weeks) to 22 Weeks
Nutritional Status - Mini Nutritional Assessment - Short Form (MNA-SF)
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Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
RECRUITINGOntario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Whitby, Ontario, Canada
RECRUITINGA structured interview consisting of 6 items that categorizes patients as malnourished, at risk of malnutrition, or of normal nutritional status. Scores range from 0-14 points, with a lower score indicating a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline (0 Weeks) to 22 Weeks
Pain - Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate - II (PACSLAC-II)
A 31-item observer-rated scale assessing facial expressions, activity/body movements, social/personality/mood indicators and mental status changes. Scores range form 0-31 points, with a higher score indicating a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline (0 Weeks) to 22 Weeks
Global Change - Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study - Clinical Global Impression of Severity/Change (ADCS-CGIS/C)
A commonly-used clinician-rated scale that quantifies disease severity and clinical change (worsening, no change, or improvement), based on information regarding the patient's medical history, cognition, behaviour, and function. Scores range from 1-7, with a lower score indicating a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline (0 Weeks) to 22 Weeks