Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32712569›Full record

Trial reportDrug and alcohol dependence2020

A randomized pilot trial of topiramate for alcohol use disorder in veterans with traumatic brain injury: Effects on alcohol use, cognition, and post-concussive symptoms.

David L Pennington, Jennifer Bielenberg, Brooke Lasher, Ellen Herbst, Gary Abrams, Tatjana Novakovic-Agopian, Steven L Batki

Registry-linked trialOpen access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01750268 (Topiramate Treatment of Hazardous and Harmful Alcohol Use in Veterans With TBI), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01750268 phase4completednot on this map

Topiramate Treatment of Hazardous and Harmful Alcohol Use in Veterans With TBI

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of California, San FranciscoRan2012 to 2015Enrolled32ConditionsTraumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Hazardous and Harmful Alcohol UseArmsMedical Management Counseling, Topiramate, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

David L PenningtonUniversity of California, San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry, 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address: david.pennington2@va.gov.
Jennifer BielenbergSan Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA.
Brooke LasherSan Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA.
Ellen HerbstUniversity of California, San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry, 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA.
Gary AbramsSan Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA.
Tatjana Novakovic-AgopianUniversity of California, San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry, 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA.
Steven L BatkiUniversity of California, San Francisco, Department of Psychiatry, 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA; Northern California Institute for Research and Education (NCIRE), 4150 Clement St., San Francisco, CA, USA.
University of California, San Francisco · USSan Francisco VA Health Care System · US

Funding

Clinical and Translational Science InstituteUL1TR001872 · NCATS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI COLLARD, HAROLD R, JACOBY, VANESSA · 2016 to 2025
$112.1M
CSRD VA IK2 CX001510NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001872
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTopiramate is an effective treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and has also been used in the care of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This pilot study aimed to obtain a preliminary assessment of topiramate's efficacy in reducing alcohol use and post-concussive symptoms, and its potential negative impact on cognitive function in 32 Veterans with co-occurring AUD and mTBI.

methodsThis was a prospective 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of flexible-dose topiramate or placebo. Primary outcome was reduction of drinking days per week within the topiramate arm. Secondary outcomes included between group comparisons of alcohol use and craving, post-concussive symptoms, and cognitive function.

resultsDrinking days per week significantly decreased within both the topiramate and placebo arm. There were no significant treatment-by-week interactions on alcohol use/craving, or post-concussive symptoms in intent-to-treat analyses. In per-protocol analyses, topiramate significantly reduced number of drinks per week compared with placebo. Topiramate transiently impaired verbal fluency and working memory. Processing speed, cognitive inhibition, and mental flexibility significantly improved between weeks 1 and 12, regardless of treatment arm.

conclusionsSignificant improvement occurred in both the topiramate and placebo groups over 12 weeks of treatment in alcohol use and post-concussive symptoms. Among treatment completers there was greater reduction of alcohol use in the topiramate arm. Topiramate was also associated with negative but transient effects on cognitive function. Results suggest both a possible benefit for topiramate treatment in reducing alcohol use and some potential for negative cognitive effects in Veterans with AUD and mTBI.

Indexed as

AdultAlcohol DrinkingAlcoholismAnticonvulsantsBrain Injuries, TraumaticCognitionCravingDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsPost-Concussion SyndromeProspective StudiesTopiramateAnticonvulsantsTopiramateAlcohol use disorderClinical trialCognitive functionTopiramateTraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID32712569
PMCPMC8370467
OpenAlexW3040111273

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.