Digestive Diseases News
Winter 2008

Research News

Study to Explore Brain-Gut Interaction in Functional Dyspepsia Patients

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is funding a clinical study to explore the brain-gut interaction in people with functional dyspepsia and whether either of two U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs are better than a placebo in relieving the disorder’s symptoms. Functional dyspepsia is a chronic condition that can cause severe stomach pain—often reported as cramping, bloating, and gas—or great discomfort or fullness after eating.

The Functional Dyspepsia Treatment Trial (FDTT) also will determine whether certain genes can predict who best will respond to treatment and whether study participants continue to respond to treatment for 6 months after they stop taking it.

During the next 5 years, researchers will enroll 400 men and women between the ages of 18 and 75 with functional dyspepsia who have failed to respond to treatments to reduce stomach acid. Participants, whose symptoms must not be caused by depression or organic disease, will receive amitriptyline, escitalopram, or a placebo.

For information about participating in the trial, contact Vickie Silvernail, the central study coordinator, at 507–284–2812 or dyspepsia@mayo.edu.

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NIH Publication No. 08–4552
March 2008