Experts Tackle Difficult Issues of Sleep Disorders, Alcohol Abuse, at ISCTM Autumn Conference

As awareness of the societal impact of insomnia and sleep disorders gains new attention, the International Society for CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology gathered an international roster of experts at the 2011 Autumn Conference, 3-4 October in Amelia Island, FL.

“While Non-Restorative Sleep is a common symptom among individuals with sleep as well as other medical disorders, there are patients where it occurs in isolation,” according to Tom Roth, PhD, from the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Center in Detroit, MI. “The pathophysiology and possible therapeutics

As awareness of the societal impact of insomnia and sleep disorders gains new attention, the International Society for CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology gathered an international roster of experts at the 2011 Autumn Conference, 3-4 October in Amelia Island, FL.

“While Non-Restorative Sleep is a common symptom among individuals with sleep as well as other medical disorders, there are patients where it occurs in isolation,” according to Tom Roth, PhD, from the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Center in Detroit, MI. “The pathophysiology and possible therapeutics

As awareness of the societal impact of insomnia and sleep disorders gains new attention, the International Society for CNS Clinical Trials and Methodology gathered an international roster of experts at the 2011 Autumn Conference, 3-4 October in Amelia Island, FL.

“While Non-Restorative Sleep is a common symptom among individuals with sleep as well as other medical disorders, there are patients where it occurs in isolation,” according to Tom Roth, PhD, from the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Center in Detroit, MI. “The pathophysiology and possible therapeutics for this later group are currently not well understood.”

Representatives from Academia, Industry, Regulatory and Governmental agencies joined in a collaborative effort to resolve some of the most challenging issues in CNS drug development.

Raymond F. Anton, MD, Medical University of South Carolina, and Nina Schooler, PhD, State University of New York Downstate, chaired a session addressing the challenges of developing new treatments for alcohol dependence.  “This was an historic session at ISCTM. It is gratifying to see the enthusiasm for alcohol treatment from so many different sectors, including industry leaders and US and European regulatory representatives. Many of the important methodological issues are in the process of being tackled by the Alcohol Clinical Trials Initiative,” Dr. Anton stated. “We are currently analyzing the latest data sets so this work proceeds based upon real-world considerations.”   

Other topics covered during this ‘working meeting’: Meta-Analysis: Methods and Applications to Policy; How Can Large Registries Contribute to the Development and Evaluation of CNS Therapeutics?; Evaluating Biomarkers for Schizophrenia: Assessing Assessment Methodologies: Suicidal Ideation and Behavior Assessment; and Adaptive Design in Clinical Trials.

“Once again, a diverse group of global leaders from the CNS research community had the opportunity to address the challenges we face in this field,” states Richard Keefe, PhD, Duke University Medical Center, and president-elect of ISCTM. “ISCTM’s commitment to working synergistically with leaders in industry, academia and government to advance innovative CNS trial methodology is crucial at this time, and was very clearly represented in the program presented in our Autumn Meeting.”

ISCTM is scheduled to meet again in Washington D.C., 21-23 February 2012.  (Preliminary Schedule)