Active clinical trials for "Schizophrenia"

Cognitive impairment is a key disabling feature of SZ. The impairment affects functional outcome and employability, resulting in increased burden. Currently, medications offer only modest benefits for the cognitive dysfunction. Hence, non-pharmacological interventions are worth consideration. Yoga is known to enhance cognitive abilities in healthy persons. Our preliminary studies have shown for the first time that there may be remarkable improvement in selected cognitive domains among outpatients with SZ. The improvement is unlikely to be due to rater bias, as they were noted using a computerized neurocognitive battery. Since our preliminary studies involved an open trial, it is necessary to conduct more controlled studies. To evaluate our results further, we propose to test the effectiveness of yoga supplementation using a controlled single blind design in India. Outpatients with SZ (N=258) undergoing treatment at a large academic center in New Delhi, India will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups- yoga training (YT, N=86), physical exercise (PE, N=86) or treatment as usual (TAU, N=86). The YT group will undergo 21 days yoga supplementation, while the PE group will complete a 21 day systematic physical exercise training regime. The third group will have no such supplementation. Cognitive state, symptom severity and overall function will be assessed at four time points: just before, immediately after, three months later and six months after completion of YT/PE supplementation. The evaluations will be conducted by raters blind to group status. Hypotheses: Yoga enhances attention, as well as related cognitive function among persons with schizophrenia. Yoga has beneficial effects on the short term functional outcome of schizophrenia

The effects of Valacyclovir (VAV) augmentation or placebo (PLA) as adjuncts to conventional antipsychotic drug treatment will be evaluated among patients with schizophrenia who have been exposed to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Hypothesis: Valacyclovir (VAV) augmentation improves (a) cognitive and (b) overall function among Herpes Simples Virus 1 (HSV-1) exposed early course schizophrenia patients.

Feasibility study of using a digital health feedback system (DHFS) to monitor medication-taking and physiologic and behavioral parameters in patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Hypothesis: Using a digital health feedback system to characterize medication-taking behavior and activities of daily living is safe and tolerable in appropriately selected patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

This randomized clinical trial (RCT) of 300 persons with serious mental illness (SMI) and medical comorbidity will evaluate outcomes for n=100 in a Community Based Health Home alone (CBHH), compared to n=100 also receiving Self-Management Training (CBHH+SMT), and n=100 also receiving Automated Telehealth (CBHH+AT). The investigators will test the following 3 hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: CBHH+SMT and CBHH+AT compared to CBHH alone, will be associated with greater health self-management and greater mental health self-management. Hypothesis 2: CBHH+SMT and CBHH+AT compared to CBHH alone, will be associated with greater reduction in risk of early mortality and (Exploratory E2) in psychiatric symptoms. Hypothesis 3: CBHH+SMT and CBHH+AT compared to CBHH alone, will be associated with less acute service use and less acute service use costs.

When people are tested on a previously learned material, they will latter remember it better even when compared to a condition where they can re-study it. This phenomenon is called retrieval practice and is supported by an extensive research literature mostly carried out in normal students. This paradigm begins to be used in cognitive remediation programs in patients suffering from memory difficulties. The objective of this study is to investigate whether retrieval practice is spared in patients with schizophrenia. If effective, this method could be used in cognitive remediation programs. Since episodic memory difficulties are supposed to be secondary to deficits in the initiation/elaboration of efficient encoding and retrieval strategies our hypothesis is that retrieval practice is spared in schizophrenia

Alterations of functional brain networks have been frequently demonstrated in schizophrenia, although the exact underlying molecular mechanisms remain unrevealed. Ketamine is known to exert its schizophrenia-like effects through modulation of the glutamatergic system, thus facilitating the investigation of the impact of this specific transmitter system on resting state functional brain networks. The aim of the study is therefore to use pharmacological functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (phMRI) to examine changes in brain networks involved in schizophrenia in response to ketamine application compared to placebo. 30 healthy subjects (15 females) will be examined twice using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover, counterbalanced-order design. Resting state fMRI will be investigated before, during and after either placebo or ketamine intravenous infusion for 20 minutes. Prior to the main trial 10 additional participants will be included in an open pilot trial. Hypothesis: Ketamine application will induce changes in resting state networks previously associated with schizophrenia and in the connectivity of relevant brain regions such as the striatum, thalamus, caudate, hippocampus and amygdala. Furthermore, the application of ketamine will provoke changes in the BOLD-activation in three fMRI paradigms each performed before and after ketamine infusion.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Recovery Guide support services are effective in promoting recovery and social integration among psychiatrically disabled individuals who experience high rates of inpatient hospitalizations.

This is a randomized pilot study of an intervention based on principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This intervention is the Health Dialogue Intervention (HDI) and will be compared to a traditional medical model of psychoeducation known as Team Solutions (TS) for first-episode schizophrenia patients. Outcomes include the acceptance of HDI and TS, compare adherence attitudes at the end of the treatment intervention, and to compare the time until the first episode of nonadherence.

The primary objective of this study is: • To determine the effects of ketamine, which blocks the ion-channel gated by the NMDA receptor, on performance of cognitive tasks and the extent to which these effects can be reversed by the dopamine receptor antagonist, risperidone. The secondary objectives of this study are: To establish whether patients with schizophrenia are able to reliably complete the biomarker test battery and to assess whether their responses are similar to healthy volunteers treated with ketamine. To establish a multi-site recruitment and assessment capacity based on shared Standard Operating Procedures across three study centres.

This study will examine possible causes of metabolic side effects in people taking atypical antipsychotic (AAP) medications.