Noradrenaline treatment of apathy and impulsivity in participants with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy syndromes

This study is open to adults aged between 50 and 85 who have been diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). To take part, you must have the mental capacity to understand the study and agree to join. You will also need a 'research partner'—such as a relative, close friend, or carer—who sees or speaks to you regularly and is willing to answer questions about your daily life and wellbeing.

To ensure your safety, your regular medications must be stable for at least four weeks before joining the study, with no planned changes to any brain-related medicines. You should also be generally well enough to attend hospital appointments.

You cannot take part if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Women who could become pregnant will need to take routine pregnancy tests during the study. If you have other severe medical conditions that make taking part unsafe, the study doctors will discuss this with you.

Taking part in this study lasts for around 22 weeks and involves six visits to a study hospital. At your first visit, the team will explain the study in detail, check your health, and ask you and your research partner to sign consent forms. You may also choose to have an optional brain scan (MRI) or blood tests.

Next, you will be given your first set of pills to take at home for eight weeks. By chance, like tossing a coin, you will receive either atomoxetine or a dummy pill. You will visit the hospital at the start and end of this period for simple questionnaires, health checks, and thinking tasks. You will then have a two-week break where you stop study pills and only take your usual medicines. After this break, you switch over: if you had the dummy pill first, you will now take atomoxetine, and vice versa, for another eight weeks. Finally, four weeks after finishing your second course of pills, you will have one last hospital visit for closing health checks.