
Effectiveness of Second Generation Antipsychotics in First Episode Psychosis Patients: 1-year Follow-up...
SchizophreniaPsychotic DisordersThis study compares the efficacy and effectiveness of two of the second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) most used in our society in the treatment of schizophrenia (Aripiprazole and Risperidone) and the investigators do within an assistance program of early-stage psychosis individuals of the Community of Cantabria, clinical reference for the treatment of this disease in the Spanish Autonomous Community. Patients are included in a prospective naturalistic study, open flexible-doses and randomized into one of two possible patterns of treatment that includes the protocol.

Perceptual Deficits in Schizophrenia
SchizophreniaSchizoaffective DisorderIn this study, participants with schizophrenia and schizoaffective are given computer exercises to complete. The goals of the study are to determine whether: 1) any of the computer exercises can improve information processing problems in schizophrenia, 2) improvements in information processing are related to other cognitive improvements, and 3) there are changes in brain activity associated with using the computer exercises. The study will involve clinical interviews, cognitive tests, and frequent computerized cognitive training over the course of 2 months. Some participants will also have electroencephalography, a non-invasive test that measures brain activity, to determine whether there are changes in brain activity with the computer training.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for the Treatment of Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia...
SchizophreniaThis study is to determine whether high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is effective in the treatment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia patients

Role Functioning Changes NOS
SchizophreniaPsychotic Disorders1 moreDuring this study the investigators will 1) collect measures of social cognition and social functioning in adolescents and young adults who are experiencing early symptoms of a major mental disorder; and 2) evaluate the predictive value and utility of a new role functioning assessment measure for individuals experiencing changes in their lives after an index episode of mental illness. This will happen in the context of providing treatment-as-usual to individuals who arrive seeking help with the early phases of mental illness.

Minocycline Augmentation in Schizophrenia
SchizophreniaThis study aims to examine the efficacy of minocycline augmentation in a sample of moderately ill outpatients with early-course schizophrenia on their chlorpromazine-equivalent doses of second-generation antipsychotic medications. The investigators hypothesize that as compared to placebo a 2-month treatment with minocycline in 120 volunteers with early-course schizophrenia will result in a more significant improvement in psychopathology (primary outcome) and cognitive symptoms (secondary outcome). In addition, cytokine plasma levels will be used as another secondary outcome measure to see if treatment-induced changes in total PANSS score are associated with changes in cytokine levels.

Psychological Intervention for Relapse Prevention in First Episode Schizophrenia
Schizophrenic DisordersThe study is a randomized clinical trial investigating the efficacy of a comprehensive psychological intervention for the treatment of first episode schizophrenia

Clinical Trial of Integrated Treatment Versus Standard Treatment in First Episode Psychosis
Psychotic DisordersSchizophreniform Disorders5 moreThe purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of integrated treatment for patients with a first episode of psychotic illness. We conducted a randomised clinical trial in Copenhagen Hospital Corporation and Psychiatric Hospital Aarhus, Denmark. We included 547 patients with first episode of schizophrenia spectrum disorder, who has not received antipsychotic medication for more than 12 weeks. Patients were randomised to integrated treatment or standard treatment. The integrated treatment lasted for two years and consisted of assertive community treatment with programmes for family involvement and social skills training. Standard treatment offered contact with a community mental health centre. We wanted to study the effect on psychotic (hallucinations and delusions)and negative (lack of initiative, apati, blunted affect) symptoms (each scored from 0 to a maximum of 5) at one and two years' follow-up. We found that integrated treatment improved clinical outcome and adherence to treatment. The improvement in clinical outcome was consistent at one year and two year follow-ups. We will study further outcome measures such as social network, quality of life, depression and suicidal behaviour.

Brain Tissue Collection for Neuropathological Studies
Bipolar DisorderDepression4 moreThe purpose of this study is to collect and study the brain tissue of deceased individuals to learn more about the nervous system and mental disorders. Information gained from donated tissue may lead to better treatments and potential cures for nervous system and mental disorders. This study will ask relatives of deceased individuals to donate the brains of their deceased relatives to allow further study of neurological and psychiatric disorders. We do not accept prospective donations.

Autobiographical Memory Organization in Schizophrenia
SchizophreniaThe aim of the study is to investigate the temporal organization of autobiographical memory in patients with schizophrenia. Patients and control participants will be invited separately to participate in a 1hour walk in the city of Strasbourg and at the same time, to carry an automatic camera around their neck, which is called SenseCam®. Pictures obtained with SenseCam® will be later presented to the participants during the session of test. They will be asked to determine the chronological order of 12 pictures corresponding to 12 particular events of the tour. Then they will be asked to watch the complete sequence of photos from the tour and to determine the beginning and ending of the events that have occurred during the tour. According to the investigators hypotheses, patients should have difficulty to find out the correct chronological order of the photos and to determine the appropriate beginnings and endings of the events

Social Cognitive Assessment in Autism and Schizophrenia
SchizophreniaIn people with schizophrenia or people with autism, impairments of social cognition are a core feature of the disease and, according to researchers who represent valuable references on this subject for the international community, three to five processes of social cognition are usually altered in those diseases: (1) emotional processing which is the ability to identify emotions through facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice, (2) theory of mind (ToM), which is defined as "the ability to attribute mental states (beliefs, intents, desires, …) to oneself and others, and to understand that others have beliefs, intentions, and desires that are different from one's own", (3) attributional style which refers to how people explain the causes of positive and negative events, and corresponding, in schizophrenia, to self-serving and personalizing bias that means a tendency to blame others for negative life events rather than sharing the responsibilities between different sources; and (4 and 5) social perception and knowledge, which can be defined as decoding and interpreting social cues from others, taking the social context into account, and knowing social rules, roles, and goals. Components of social cognition appear to be related to both symptomatology and functioning in everyday life. The present study aims to assess a new social cognitive battery developed by several teams in France: ClaCoS.