Active clinical trials for "Schizophrenia"

The main objective of this study is to assess whether attention deficits and executive functions in patients with schizophrenia are general (semantic and response conflict) or specific (semantic or response conflict).

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive form of brain stimulation which uses a very weak constant current to temporarily excite the brain area of interest via small electrodes placed on the scalp. Currently, tDCS is being used as a tool to investigate mental processes (cognition) and motor function (movement) in healthy controls and to treat neurological (i.e. stroke) and psychiatric (i.e. depression and dementia) patients. tDCS has been found to improve motor processes and cognitive performance, including attention and memory functions. This study will attempt to examine the effects of tDCS on a specific aspect of short term memory to sounds measured from electrical activity (EEG) from the top of the scalp. This study will also assess the effect of a drug, dextromethorphan (DMO), commonly found in cough syrup, which is thought to regulate tDCS treatment through brain receptors. The study involves four laboratory test sessions. EEG assessments will be done in two sessions involving 'anodal' tDCS stimulation (to temporarily excite cortical activity locally), one session with DMO treatment and one with placebo treatment, and two sessions involving 'sham' tDCS stimulation (device is turned off), with the same DMO and placebo treatments. These findings will contribute to our understanding of the brain chemistry involved in tDCS treatment and its effects on cognitive abilities.

The current study aims to develop and evaluate a practical, short-term support and education program for relatives of individuals with schizophrenia. This program has been developed to maximize efficiency and effectiveness in the following ways: The intervention specifically targets those factors empirically demonstrated to improve family functioning and well being. Specifically, this pilot intervention aims to: a) increase relatives' knowledge about schizophrenia spectrum disorders; b) help families attribute distressing behaviors of their ill relatives more accurately, by helping them to distinguish behaviors that are directly related to the illness from personality characteristics; c) improve attitudes towards the patient and reduce stress in interactions with the patient; d) encourage problem-focused coping strategies; e) reduce burden; f) provide opportunities for relatives to expand their social support network; g) help families learn about and utilize community resources. The program involves both individual and multifamily group components, in order to reap the benefits of both formats. Specifically, multifamily psychoeducation groups (involving individuals from several different families) tend to be more economical and allow participants to learn from each other, increase their social support networks, and reduce feelings of stigma. In contrast, individualized programs can target the specific needs of participants.

A new treatment for indigenous people with mental illness in remote communities has been developed. The study hypothesis is that this new treatment will result in better outcomes for clients and carers than the outcomes of clients and carers who do not receive the treatment. The treatment is a combination of a talking treatment and sharing of stories about mental health. The treatment will be delivered to the client with their chosen carer and with the local Aboriginal Mental Health Worker or Health Worker. The treatment will be given by the research team - a psychiatrist and an indigenous research officer. The trial will compare two groups of clients - a control group which is receiving 'treatment as usual', and the group which receives the new treatment. Measures of social functioning and symptoms of mental illness will be administered at base line and every six months for two years.

DELPhI acquisition and analysis software, a QuantalX Neuroscience development, which is designed to measure, analyze, and display brain electrical activity of human electroencephalogram (EEG), to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), will be used to evaluate different psychiatric conditions.

Background: - Previous studies have suggested that smoking cigarettes affects the number of receptors in the brain for nicotine, a chemical present in cigarette smoke. The receptors play a role in an individual's ability to think and concentrate. Many people with schizophrenia and similar disorders smoke, and research suggests that smoking may temporarily improve concentration and focus in individuals with schizophrenia. Researchers are interested in studying both current smokers and nonsmokers with schizophrenia to determine whether smoking affects the number of nicotine receptors in the brains of people with schizophrenia. Objectives: - To study the distribution and volume of nicotine receptors in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia who are either nonsmokers or current smokers. Eligibility: Individuals between 18 and 50 years of age who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and are either nonsmokers or current smokers (at least 10 cigarettes per day for the past year). Current smokers must be able to give up smoking for 48 hours. Design: This study involves an initial screening visit and up to five study visits. After the screening visit, participants will have two sessions in which they will complete questionnaires about thoughts, memory, and smoking habits. Smokers will also have nicotine blood and carbon monoxide breath levels taken during these sessions, before and after smoking a cigarette. Participants will have sessions with imaging studies (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging) to provide baseline measurements for later tests, and will also have tests to measure brain electrical activity. Participants will have a positron emission tomography (PET) scanning session to examine the nicotine receptors in the brain. Participants will need to stay overnight (nonsmokers) or for 2 nights (smokers) as an inpatient before the session. The PET scan session will take up to 6 hours, although participants will only be in the scanner for up to 3 hours. Participants will have a follow-up phone call with study researchers 1 week after the PET scanning session.

This study will determine the usability of a website for people with schizophrenia versus other websites designed for the same purpose.

The investigators will acquire simultaneous EEG and fMRI data from Veterans with depression and schizophrenia and mentally healthy Veterans to assess early sensory responses, context updating, and responses to emotional images. Understanding how rumination affects engagement with the environment is the first step towards assessing its far-reaching cognitive and emotional costs, which cut across traditional diagnostic boundaries. Understanding how mindfulness restores information processing will increase our understanding of how, and for whom, it works.

The purpose of this study is to assess how oxytocin delivered intranasally changes regional brain blood flow measured by positron emission tomography (PET) in conjunction with oxygen-15 labeled water in persons with schizophrenia. The objective is to better our understanding of oxytocin's role in the modulation of social judgment in schizophrenia and provide more information as to potential uses of oxytocin or a similar drug analog in treating certain features of schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders.

Schizophrenia is a disease of young adults that affects 1% of the general population. According to numerous studies, it has been estimated that between 50% and 80% of patients with schizophrenia do not consider to have a mental disorder and are therefore not aware of their disorders. A poor degree of insight is associated with poor compliance, a higher number of re-hospitalizations, altered social and relational functioning, and a higher number of suicides and violent behaviors. This is why insight, which is an essential dimension of psychopathology, must be evaluated, as it depends to a large extent on the therapeutic alliance, adherence to treatment, likelihood of relapse and prognosis.