Insulin resistance in multiple system atrophy
Run by University Hospital, Bordeaux · NCT04250493 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test whether people with multiple system atrophy have signs of insulin resistance in fasting blood and neural-derived plasma exosomes compared with healthy adults.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 30 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 124 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University Hospital, Bordeaux Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Bordeaux) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | October 28, 2020 |
| Main results expected | October 28, 2026 |
| Study ends | October 28, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | July 20, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT04250493 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal participants are adults over 30 with possible or probable MSA who can give informed consent, are covered by the national health system, and do not have diabetes or excluded medications.
✕Probably not a fit
People with diabetes, other neurologic disorders, MoCA ≤21, pregnancy or breastfeeding, or those on excluded medications are unlikely to gain benefit from this biomarker validation study.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This observational interventional study compares fasting glucose/insulin HOMA measurements and levels of phosphorylated IRS-1 (IRS-1pS312) in neural-derived plasma exosomes between adults with possible or probable MSA and age-matched healthy controls. Participants will undergo fasting blood draws, MoCA cognitive testing, clinical characterization, and brain MRI, and samples will be analyzed for HOMA and IRS-1pS312. The aim is to validate peripheral biomarkers that reflect central insulin resistance previously observed in post-mortem MSA tissue and in transgenic MSA mice. Key exclusions include diabetes, certain medications, other neurologic disorders, significant cognitive impairment, and MRI contraindications.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, validating insulin resistance as a target could enable trials of GLP-1–based or other insulin-sensitizing therapies for MSA.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical work in transgenic MSA mice and post-mortem human brain studies showed brain insulin resistance and a protective effect of the GLP-1 agonist exendin-4 in mice, but prospective in vivo human validation is novel.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Patients : * Patients suffering from "possible" or "probable" MSA according to clinical consensus criteria (Gilman et al., 2008). * Age \> 30 * Written informed consent * Patient covered by the national health system Controls: * Patients not suffering from a neurologic disorder * Age \> 30 * Written informed consent * Patient covered by the national health system Exclusion Criteria: For patients and controls: * Presence of a diabetes * Treatment with corticosteroids, estrogen, atypical antipsychotics, and anti-retroviral agents * Patient under tutelage * Patient unable to give consent * Any other neurologic disorder * Pregnancy and breastfeeding * MOCA ≤21 * Contraindication to perform an MRI
Where it's running
-
CHU de Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Wassilios MEISSNER
- Email: wassilios.meissner@chu-bordeaux.fr
- Phone: 05 57 82 14 20
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.