PET Imaging of GABA Receptors in Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00246870. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
This study will use brain imaging to map brain cell receptors for a chemical called GABA, a chemical that inhibits the activities of nerve cells. The study includes patients with succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, or SSADH (a disorder in which an enzyme deficiency disrupts GABA metabolism), their parents, and healthy volunteers. SSADH deficiency causes various neurological and neuromuscular problems, including mild to severe mental retardation, delays in the acquisition of skills requiring the coordination of mental and physical activities (psychomotor retardation), delays in language and speech development, and other symptoms. Healthy volunteers 18-55 years of age, patients with SSADH between 5 and 24 years of age, and parents of patients 18-55 years of age may be eligible for this study. Participants undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning as follows: Magnetic resonance imaging MRI uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images of body tissues and organs. For this procedure, the subject lies on a table that is moved into the scanner (a narrow metal cylinder surrounded by a magnetic field) wearing earplugs to muffle loud knocking and thumping sounds that occur during the scanning process. Scanning time varies from 20 minutes to 3 hours, with most scans lasting between 45 and 90 minutes. Participants may be asked to lie still for up to 90 minutes at a time. In addition to standard MRI, participants may also have new types of MRI that may detect brain abnormalities when regular MRI is normal, such as diffusion tensor MRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. There are no noticeable differences from ordinary MRI scans. Positron Emission Tomography A catheter (plastic tube) is placed in a vein in the subject's wrist. The subject lies on a table with his or her head placed in the scanner. A mask, used to help keep the head still in the scanner, is placed over the head. The mask is not uncomfortable and has holes for the subject to see through. A radioactive compound called flumazenil is injected into a vein. The scan takes about 90 minutes. Some children need to be sedated for PET or MRI scans. In these cases, chloral hydrate, a standard drug for pediatric diagnostic procedures, is used. ...
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT00246870
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Observational
- Phase
- Not listed
- Enrollment
- 42 participants
Conditions and interventions
Interventions
Not listed
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 5 Years to 55 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Oct 23, 2005
- Primary completion
- Not listed
- Completion
- Oct 18, 2010
- Last update posted
- Jul 1, 2017
2005 – 2010
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 2
- U.S. states
- 2
- U.S. cities
- 2
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Childrens National Medical Center | Washington D.C. | District of Columbia | — | — |
| National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), 9000 Rockville | Bethesda | Maryland | 20892 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT00246870, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Jul 1, 2017 · Synced Sep 11, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete protocol, eligibility criteria, and contact information for NCT00246870 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.