OxLith: exploration of the short-term physical and psychological effects of lithium in mood instability
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN91624955 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN91624955 |
| Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) | 2014-002699-98 |
| Protocol serial number | CB001-OL |
| Sponsor | University of Oxford (UK) |
| Funder | Wellcome Trust |
- Submission date
- 20/01/2015
- Registration date
- 21/01/2015
- Last edited
- 16/06/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Bipolar disorder affects around 2% of the world’s population. Symptoms typically start in adolescence/early adulthood and persist throughout life. Bipolar disorder is usually characterised by manic and depressive episodes but recent studies have highlighted the long-term social and functional impairment associated with inter-episode mood instability. Evaluation of current treatments and the development of more effective, safer treatments could greatly improve the lives of people with bipolar disorder. Lithium is recommended for long-term prevention of mania and depression. It is an effective drug which reduces suicidality. However, lithium has a narrow therapeutic range and the adverse effects include changes in kidney, thyroid and parathyroid function. Despite having been prescribed for over five decades there is little understanding of the mechanism of action of lithium. Evaluation and development of treatments for mental illnesses have been hampered by the lack of robust measures of effect. New technologies offer ways to identify biomarkers that measure effects and elucidate mechanisms of action. These include electronic rating systems, brain imaging techniques, activity and sleep monitors, hormone level assays and cognitive function tests. In this study we will use these technologies to explore the mechanism of action of lithium.
Who can participate?
Men and women aged 18 or over who have bipolar disorder and are currently experiencing mood instability but not an episode of depression, mania or hypomania.
What does the study involve?
Following a 2-week run-in phase (during which no treatment is given), participants are randomly allocated to take either lithium or placebo for 6 weeks. During the time they are in the study participants are asked to rate their mood weekly by email or text message and to complete daily tasks on an iPad (provided). The daily tasks include cognitive tests assessing reaction times and learning and completing brief ratings of mood. Participants are also asked to carry activity monitors, wear a heart monitor for two 3-day periods, to give blood, saliva and cheek swab samples, and to have two non-invasive brain scans.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
For the time that they are in the study, participants will benefit from consultations with psychiatrists who are experts in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Lithium can cause adverse effects. Common effects are upset stomach, particularly at the start of treatment, fine shake (‘tremor’) of the hands, metallic taste, increased thirst and need to pass urine and weight gain. Adverse effects will be monitored during the trial. The study does require daily completing of self-reports and cognitive tests as well as a number of clinic visits, two scans and two 32-hour periods of 4-hourly collection of saliva and cheek swabs. The frequency and timing of data collection and visits has been kept to a minimum and the study requirements will be made clear to all participants prior to consent.
Where is the study run from?
The study is being run by a team from the Oxford Cognitive Health and Neuroscience Clinical Trials Unit (OCHNCTU) based at the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry. Participants will be recruited from the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
April 2015 to April 2017
Who is funding the study?
The study is funded as part of an award from the Wellcome Trust for CONBRIO, a programme of research designed to transform understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder.
Who is the main contact?
Dr Jennifer Rendell
jennifer.rendell@psych.ox.ac.uk
Contact information
Public
University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry
Warneford Hospital
Warneford Lane
Headington
Oxford
OX3 7JX
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-3448-9927 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)1865 618330 |
| kate.saunders@psych.ox.ac.uk |
Scientific
University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry
Warneford Hospital
Warneford Lane
Headington
Oxford
OX3 7JX
United Kingdom
| ORCID ID |
0000-0002-5281-5960 |
|---|
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Randomised 6-week double-blind placebo-controlled trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | OxLith: exploration of the short-term physical and psychological effects of lithium in mood instability |
| Study acronym | OxLith |
| Study objectives | Aim: to characterise the clinical, cognitive, neural and pathophysiological effects of lithium in people with bipolar disorder and current mood instability. |
| Ethics approval(s) | NRES Committee South Central - Oxford A, 04/04/2015, ref: 15/SC/0109 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Bipolar disorder with current mood instability |
| Intervention | Following a 2-week run-in phase, participants will be randomly allocated to take either lithium or placebo for 6 weeks. During the time they are in the study participants will be asked to rate their mood weekly by email or text message and to complete daily tasks on an iPad (provided). The daily tasks will include cognitive tests assessing reaction times and learning and completing brief ratings of mood. Participants will also be asked to carry activity monitors, a heart monitor for two 3-day periods, to give blood, saliva and cheek swab samples, and to have two non-invasive brain scans. |
| Intervention type | Drug |
| Phase | Phase IV |
| Drug / device / biological / vaccine name(s) | Lithium |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Reduction in mood instability from weekly self-reports made online or by SMS throughout the trial (https://truecolours.nhs.uk). Depressive symptoms will be reported using the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (QIDS-SR16) scale and manic symptoms using the ALTMAN scale. Daily self-reports of current mood reported using the (Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) completed on an iPad |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Performance on cognitive tasks at trial entry and at the final visit and on brief tasks completed daily on an iPad throughout the trial |
| Completion date | 01/04/2018 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 40 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Willing and able to give informed consent to participate in the trial 2. Meeting criteria for bipolar disorder 3. Clinical complaint of significant mood instability 4. Clinical uncertainty about the prescription of lithium 5. No clear indication for alternative treatment 6. Pre-treatment blood test results acceptable for initiation of lithium 7. Willing and able to comply with all trial requirements (assessed by a psychiatrist) 8. Willing to allow his or her General Practitioner and, if appropriate, psychiatrist to be notified of participation in the trial |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Any contraindication to lithium 2. Currently taking any psychotropic drug that cannot be withdrawn 3. Clinically significant alcohol or substance use 4. Requiring immediate treatment for an acute mood episode such that placebo would be inappropriate 5. Female and pregnant, lactating or currently planning a pregnancy 6. Female of child-bearing potential not willing to use effective contraception 7. Participation in another research trial involving an investigational medicinal product in the past 12 weeks 8. Judged to be at significant immediate risk of suicide/self-harm (Participants with contraindication to one or both brain scans will be excluded from that part of the trial) |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/04/2015 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/02/2018 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centre
Warneford Lane
Headington
Oxford
OX3 7JX
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon request from Prof. John Geddes. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol article | protocol | 02/03/2016 | Yes | No | |
| Basic results | 16/03/2022 | 16/06/2022 | No | No | |
| Basic results | 16/03/2022 | 16/06/2022 | No | No | |
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No | ||
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
16/06/2022: EU Clinical Trials Register results added.
28/10/2019: The public contact was changed from Dr Jennifer Rendell to Prof Kate Saunders.
14/03/2017: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 01/04/2017 to 01/02/2018.
2. The overall trial end date was changed from 30/05/2017 to 01/04/2018.
11/05/2016: Ethics approval information added.
07/03/2016: Publication reference added.
