---
title: N-methyl Glycine (Sarcosine) for the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
nct_id: NCT01031927
overall_status: COMPLETED
phase: PHASE2
sponsor: China Medical University Hospital
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
primary_condition: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
countries: Taiwan
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT01031927.md"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01031927"
ct_last_update_post_date: 2009-12-29
last_seen_at: "2026-05-12T07:02:56.785Z"
source: ClinicalTrials.gov (mirrored, no enrichment)
---
# N-methyl Glycine (Sarcosine) for the Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

**Official Title:** Sarcosine as Primary or Adjunctive Therapy in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Prospective, Open-label Study

**NCT ID:** [NCT01031927](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01031927)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** COMPLETED
- **Phase:** PHASE2
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Target Enrollment:** 30
- **Lead Sponsor:** China Medical University Hospital
- **Collaborators:** Taipei City Hospital
- **Conditions:** Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
- **Start Date:** 2007-06
- **CT.gov Last Update:** 2009-12-29

## Brief Summary

Several lines of evidence implicate glutamatergic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Sarcosine, also known as N-methylglycine, is an endogenous antagonist of glycine transporter-I (GlyT-I), which potentiates glycine's action at the glycine site of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. In this 10-week open-label trial, we examined the efficacy and safety of sarcosine treatment in OCD patients.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 18 Years
- **Maximum age:** 65 Years
- **Sex:** ALL
- **Healthy Volunteers:** No

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* a primary OCD according to DSM-IV
* at least 1 year's duration of OC symptoms and a minimum severity score of ≥16 on Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale
* drug naïve at study entry or
* being free from psychotropic medication for at least 8 weeks at study entry,or
* inadequately responded to ongoing psychotropic medications at study entry (defined by a Y-BOCS score of ≧16 despite treatment with maximum tolerated dose of a SRI medication for at least 8 weeks)

Exclusion Criteria:

* patients with moderate to severe depression defined by a 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score of \>17,
* a history of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or other psychosis as defined by DSM-IV, or if they were at significant risk of suicide, and
* with clinically significant organic disease including cardiovascular, hepatic, pulmonary, neurologic, metabolic, or renal disease
```

## Interventions

- **N-methyl glycine** (DRUG) — staring from 500mg/day, increased by 500mg biweekly, up to maximin of 2000mg/day

## Primary Outcomes

- **Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale** _(time frame: week0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10)_

## Secondary Outcomes

- **Hamilton Anxiety Rating scale** _(time frame: week0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10)_

## Locations (1)

- China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

## Recent Field Changes (last 30 days)

- `status.overallStatus` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.primaryCompletionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.lastUpdatePostDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.phases` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.enrollmentCount` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.criteria` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.minAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.maxAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.sex` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.primary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.secondary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.interventions` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.lead` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.collaborators` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `results.hasResults` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.china medical university hospital|taichung||taiwan` — added _(2026-05-12)_

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT01031927.md*  
*Source data (authoritative): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01031927*  
*This page is a raw mirror with no AI summary, no editorial enrichment, and no Parkinson's-specific filtering.*