Active clinical trials for "Schizophrenia"

Despite major advances in the field of psychopharmacology in recent years, the majority of treated schizophrenia patients retain disabling symptoms, most commonly a variety of negative symptoms. Currently, clinical treatment of schizophrenia remains dominated by pharmacological control. The current use of antipsychotic medications is effective in controlling the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, but has little effect on the negative symptoms. Neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies have shown that negative symptoms are associated with abnormal brain activity in the combined right and left dorsolateral prefrontal and temporoparietal joint regions, and that physical therapy techniques can modulate cortical activity. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS) combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS) on negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and to explore possible mechanisms. The double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study comparing active tDCS stimulation combined with active rTMS stimulation, active rTMS stimulation combined with sham tDCS stimulation, and active tDCS stimulation combined with sham rTMS stimulation to sham tDCS stimulation combined with sham rTMS stimulation at 4 weeks of treatment and 2 weeks of follow-up in patients with predominantly negative symptoms with schizophrenia was studied for efficacy. In addition to the primary observation of changes in the Negative Symptom Assessment Scale (SANS), secondary outcomes include changes in Positive and Negative symptom scale (PANSS) total and negative total scores, changes in the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), changes in local brain activity (functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI), white matter integrity (diffusion tensor imaging, DTI), changes in laboratory examination indices changes and changes in psycho-behavioral and EEG index. This is the first clinical trial combining tDCS with rTMS for the treatment of schizophrenia patients with predominantly negative symptoms. This study will provide solid evidence for the combination of tDCS with rTMS for the treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. This study will also help to further explore the mechanisms of tDCS combined with rTMS for the treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia in terms of imaging and behavior.

This pilot open-label study examines the effects of a combination of dasatinib plus quercetin - two drugs that have known senolytics properties - on physiological aging in older individuals with depression or schizophrenia.

The specific aim of this protocol is to compare Clozapine treatment vs Non-Clozapine antipsychotic treatment in a population of treatment-refractory individuals with schizophrenia. Specifically, it is to test if Clozapine leads to a decrease in levels of inflammatory markers, namely interleukin-6 but with an exploratory view of other markers. Clozapine has superior efficacy and is the only medication approved for treatment-refractory schizophrenia in addition to decreasing the risk of suicidal behavior as well. It is unclear why Clozapine has increased efficacy from a mechanistic viewpoint. We will look at the role of inflammatory markers and assess them 1x along with rating scales for psychosis and suicidality, the other entities which Clozapine has been shown to improve.

This Study is a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group, Multi-Center, Fixed-Dose, Phase 3 Clinical Trial Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of WID-RGC20 3 mg/day and 6 mg/day in Patients with Acute Psychotic Episode of Schizophrenia.

The goal of this observational study is to compare subjects with at-risk-mental-state, early psychosis, schizophrenia, depression, and autism spectrum disorders, with healthy controls (N = 21 x 6). The main questions it aims to answer are: are EEG microstate anomalies associated with diagnosis, clinical and functional prognosis, both in resting conditions and during sleep ? are EEG microstates anomalies associated with differences in sensorimotor integration, prosodic and conversational, interoceptive, and narrative self ? an ancillary study will be to see whether in healthy controls EEG microstate properties vary under light hypnosis conditions. Participants will: undergo deep phenotyping based on psychopathology and neuropsychological assessments undergo a high-resolution EEG (64 electrodes) with a resting period and a sensorimotor task; and healthy controls will have a light hypnosis period. undergo a recording of the characteristics of their voice (tone, prosody) undergo a one-night polysomnography undergo MRI and biological sampling for multi-omic analyses undergo a virtual reality experience

Severe mental illness such as schizophrenia and mood disorders typically develops at a young age and can cause life-long disability. Currently available treatments cannot cure severe mental illness. This makes it important to find ways to prevent severe mental illness in young people before it has a chance to develop. This research study will pilot a new preventive intervention for young people who are at high risk of developing severe mental illness. The investigators will target early preceding factors (the 'antecedents') to severe mental illness which includes anxiety, unusual hearing and visual experiences, the loss of previously acquired abilities, and sudden and unpredictable changes in mood. These antecedents strongly predict an increased risk of developing severe mental illness. They are often impairing and distressing to the individual but can be improved with self-management skills and parent training, and they are present in the individual years before the onset of severe mental illness which makes them an ideal target for early intervention. The goal is to intervene early enough in the young person's life that severe mental illness can be prevented, hopefully leading to a happy, healthy and productive adulthood. The investigators want to test the acceptability and short-term efficacy of this new preventive intervention.

The primary objective for this study is to evaluate whether Rituximab as compared to placebo is a clinically effective treatment for a subgroup of patients suffering from psychosis and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or -behavior (OCB) where there is an indication of immune system involvement. The secondary objectives of this study are To assess whether Rituximab treatment (with the doses and timing described below) as compared to placebo is associated with amelioration in psychiatric symptomatology To assess whether Rituximab treatment as compared to placebo is associated with improvement in executive functions To assess whether Rituximab treatment as compared to placebo is associated with amelioration in neurological symptoms To evaluate the longevity of psychiatric, neurological and executive improvements associated with Rituximab treatment for up to 16 months after the first infusion (i.e. 12 months after the last infusion) To evaluate whether Rituximab treatment as described is safe for these patients. The exploratory objectives of this study are To assess changes in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers for immune activity associated with Rituximab treatment compared to placebo To assess statistical associations between biological markers in blood or CSF and clinical response To describe changes in somatic symptoms associated with treatment with Rituximab vs placebo for patients with initial symptoms in the questionnaires To describe changes on MR and EEG associated with treatment with Rituximab vs placebo for patients with initial pathology in these examination To study immune mechanisms coupled with psychiatric symptoms, possibly identifying novel biomarkers with potential for subtyping encephalopathies with immune engagement, using biobank cells, blood and CSF samples collected from the participants.

Severe mental illness (SMI) refers to the most burdensome psychiatric conditions. The need to pre-empt the onset of SMI is pressing because once SMI develops, quality of life is poor and available treatments have limited efficacy. Most risk factors for SMI are either unchangeable (e.g., genetics) or difficult to alter (e.g., low socio-economic status). In contrast, cannabis use is one specific risk factor that could be avoided. Certain individuals are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of cannabis. Genetic factors can help us identify these high-risk individuals. One in three individuals are carriers of a higher-risk genetic variant, and cannabis users with this genotype are at up to 7-fold increased risk of developing schizophrenia. In our study, genetic counselling will be provided to participants by a board-certified genetic counsellor. During the genetic counselling session, participants will have the option to receive their genotype. Participants will be counselled regarding their individualized risk of developing and of not developing SMI based on family history, whether or not they choose to use cannabis, and genotype (if the participants accept the genetic test results). The investigators hypothesize that this intervention will reduce exposure to cannabis compared to the youth who are not offered the intervention.

This study is to determine the tolerability and efficacy of an accelerated schedule of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for treating symptoms of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.

Internalized stigma, (i.e. the application of negative stereotypes about a diagnostic group to one's self) is a strong predictor of recovery and quality of life for individuals with psychosis. Be Outspoken and Overcome Stigmatizing Thoughts (BOOST) is an evidence-based intervention aimed at improving internalized stigma, self-esteem, and quality of life for those with psychosis. The proposed research expands BOOST's program by adding additional therapeutic methods and material, and adopting the use of virtual care methods to: (a) increase the generalization of treatment effects, (b) examine long-term treatment effects, and (C) provide rural Ontario communities with remote treatment access.