The Immune System and Psychiatric Disorders
Stress DisordersTraumatic5 moreThe study is based on a hypothesis that there is interaction between the activity in the immune system and in the mind. To study this, the investigators register different measures for activity in the immune system on patients unselectedly admitted to an acute psychiatric ward. The psychiatric statuses and diagnoses of these patients are carefully defined as well.
Quality of Life in Schizophrenic Patients
SchizophreniaThis is a non-interventional study evaluating quality of life in schizophrenic patients treated with atypical antipsychotics, in the ambulatory setting. This is a 9-month, observational, multicentric prospective study.
Efficacy and Safety of Aripiprazole in Patients With Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder
SchizophreniaBipolar DisorderThis is a multicenter,open-label,prospective study of Aripiprazole use in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Changes in Heart Rhythms Associated With Antipsychotic Drug Treatment
SchizophreniaSchizoaffective Disorder1 moreThis study is being done to look at the electrical activity of the heart. This study will help decide whether taking recordings for a 24-hour period gives more useful information than recording it for a few seconds in a doctor's office. The study will compare 24 hour electrocardiogram (ECG) results of patients taking thioridazine (Mellaril) to those of other patients taking different medications that took part in another study.
Measurement of Activity Participation for Persons With Schizophrenia Living in the Community
SchizophreniaThe purpose of the study is to develop a questionnaire on community occupational participation for persons with schizophrenia living in the community. In the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) recently revised by World Health Organization, activity participation is recognized as an important indication of health-related status. From the perspective of occupational therapy, the researcher intends to investigate the experiences of occupational participation among schizophrenic patients living in the community, and to develop a measuring tool for occupational participation accordingly. The development of the Community Occupational Participation Questionnaire will be based on the result of a qualitative research project which the researcher is carrying out at the moment. The resultant questionnaire will provide a quantitative measure of community occupational participation for persons with schizophrenia, as well as a measurement tool of activity participation for health-related research studies. Furthermore, it may provide valuable information to the development of community psychiatric services. This current study will take one year. Tasks to be accomplished include: building item pool, examining content validity of each item, pilot testing, item analysis, norm establishment, and testing reliability and validity. Data will be collected in different areas of Taiwan, and will be analyzed with the following methods: content validity ratio, item-total correlation, Cronbach's alpha, and confirmatory factor analysis. The study will result in an occupational participation questionnaire with norm, validity and reliability.
Mutation Screening and Translocation Detection of DISC1 Gene in Schizophrenia
SchizophreniaChinese Han PeopleSeveral chromosomal loci obtained from genetic linkage studies have been reported of relating to schizophrenia. These areas include of 1q32-41, 6p24-21, 8p22-21, 15q13-14, and 22q11-12. The names of these genes located in these loci have not been identified, nor have the function and the relationship to the disease. Our research team using genetic linkage studies has found a strong linkage (NPL Z score = 2.18, p=0.01) between the D1S251 marker and schizophrenia disease. This marker is about 4 kb away from DISC1 (disrupted in schizophrenia gene 1) gene. In a Scottish family, a balanced translocation [t(1;11) (q42.1;q14.3)] has cosegregated inside the schizophrenia affected members of the family (LOD score =6.0). The breakpoint of the translocation is located at the intron area between exon 8 and exon 9 of DISC1 gene. This translocation disrupted the gene and caused its malfunction. A large molecular genetic study study recently in Finland has also demonstrated strong linkage evidence (Zmax=3.21) between the DIS2709 marker, located among exon 4 and exon 5 of DISC1 gene, and schizophrenia in a. All these findings have indicated that DISC1 gene is a potential positional candidate gene and worth for further study. The main purposes of this proposal include: (1) To evaluate the incidence rate of the balanced translocation between the chromosome 1q42.1 and 11q14.3 in approximately 500 schizophrenic patients in Taiwan. Furthermore, we will compare the clinical symptoms, illness course, and family genetic model to examine if any particular characters coexist with the translocation. (2) To search for the genetic polymorphisms in DISC1 gene area, where the thirteen exons, the promoter regions (1 kb upstream the start codon), and the breakpoint area (1 kb of both upstream and downstream area) will be analyzed by the method of denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC). Case-control association study will be performed further in each 200 schizophrenic patients and normal controls to evaluate the relationship between the disease and the clinical characteristics. This proposal is quite feasible and prospective with the following reasons. (1) All the DNA samples and the clinical data have been collected and evaluated completely for further analysis. (2) Our research team has built up an integrated andreliable molecular genetic laboratory. All the facilities necessary for this study (DHPLC) had been setup with standard operating protocols and working routinely. (3) DISC1 gene has strong linkage evidence with schizophrenia in Taiwanese sample. The high prior probability of DISC1 gene as a positional candidate gene increases the successfulness of association study. . (4) Once the relationship among balance translocation, genetic polymorphism and the schizophrenia have established, further functional study will be evaluated to understand the possible mechanisms involved in the disease.
Genetic Research in Schizophrenia Using DNA Markers and Clinical Phenotypes
SchizophreniaSchizophrenia has long been known to be an illness with significant evidence for a genetic predisposition. The purpose of this study is to determine the genetic abnormalities that cause childhood and adult onset schizophrenia.
Studies of Frontal Lobe Brain Functioning in Schizophrenia
Healthy SubjectsSchizophrenia1 moreThe purpose of this study is to use brain imaging technology to investigate the role of the frontal lobe of the brain in the thinking of individuals with schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders and healthy volunteers. Participants in this study will undergo a positron emission tomography (PET) scan of the brain while performing neuropsychological tests. Some of the tests involve cognitive operations that depend upon the frontal cortex. Interactions between frontal lobe activation, cognitive behavior, and neuropharmacology will be assessed by measuring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) during treatment with drugs that may affect frontal lobe physiology.
A Survey to Collect Treatment Experience Feedback From Patients, Physicians, Nurses and Carers After...
SchizophreniaThe purpose of this study is to explore the experience with paliperidone palmitate 3-month formulation (PP3M) treatment of participants and their corresponding physicians, nurses and carers, to understand the impact of less frequent injections from their perspective.
Psychometric Validation of an Oral Health-related Scale for Quality of Life and Coping in People...
SchizophreniaSchizophrenia is a severe and persistent psychological disorder affecting 0.7 to 1% of the world's population and 600,000 people in France. Schizophrenic patients are exposed to excess mortality and a life expectancy that is 10 to 15 years lower than the general population (excluding causes of suicide) and to numerous co-morbidities, including oral diseases. To improve this public health problem, concrete action must be undertaken and evaluated in both quantitative and qualitative terms. While there are many quantitative indicators, there are no reliable and valid tools for the perceived oral health of these individuals in the context of their real and/or imagined world. The results of a qualitative study previously carried out by our team (QUALITY Study: NCT02730832) made it possible to develop two hypothetical questionnaires for evaluating quality of life related to oral health, the Schizophrenia Oral Health Profile (SOHP), and a questionnaire for evaluating coping strategies with regard to oral health, the Schizophrenia Coping Oral Health Profile (SCOOHP). However, before these questionnaires can be used in clinical practice, their psychometric properties must be validated.