Active clinical trials for "Schizophrenia"

The overall aim of this study was to develop a meta-cognitive group intervention in order to apply it and to understand and distinguish the components that influence participation among people with schizophrenia

Background: Presence of a series of typical physical symptoms is an enduring and functionally relevant feature of early-onset schizophrenia (EOS). Psychotherapy improves clinical symptoms in adults with schizophrenia, although data in adolescents with EOS remain scarce. The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of the adapted group psychotherapy in improving clinical symptoms from a perspective of neuroimaging in a sample of symptomatically stable adolescents with EOS. Methods: Investigators conducted a double-blind randomized controlled trial using multidomain, adaptive, group psychotherapy in 28 EOS patients, who were randomly allocated into either training (group psychotherapy) or active control (health education) groups. Data of diffusion tensor imaging, and clinical symptoms were obtained at baseline and after an average of 2 hours/day, 2 days/week for 4 weeks of intervention.

The goal of this pilot feasibility and proof of concept study is to evaluate whether Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) as adapted for group delivery in an early psychosis intervention (EPI) program has a clinically significant impact on the concerned significant other (CSO) and Identified patient (IP), and whether a larger, definitive trial is feasible. The intervention aims to improve treatment engagement and reduce distress, as reported by the CSO. To assess feasibility of the intervention for a definitive trial of CRAFT-EPI, the investigators will evaluate recruitment, retention, and assessment completion rates.

We investigated the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract on the symptoms and cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia

This study will examine the benefits of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a new tool that is being developed as a safe and non-invasive neurostimulation method, for improving neurocognitive and social cognitive functions in schizophrenia. This procedure is non-invasive and painless and it results in increase or decrease of spontaneous neuronal firing in the brain. Its safety and beneficial effect on cognition has been demonstrated in healthy individuals and several clinical populations. In this pilot study, the investigators will examine the effect of tDCS on cognitive functions in 40 individuals with schizophrenia. Each participant will arrive for three visits, with approximately one week between each visit. During the first visit, participants will be interviewed about their psychiatric symptoms, personal life experiences, and emotional well being by a specially-trained interviewer. On each of the three visits, participants will receive one of three stimulations: a type of tDCS designed to increase neuronal firing, an alternative form of tDCS designed to decrease neuronal firing, and a sham tDCS (stimulation with no current). Immediately following the stimulation, participants will be asked to complete measures of mental abilities, including tests presented on a computer screen and paper-and-pencil tests. During each visit, participants will also undergo a standard measure of brain activity (EEG) while listening to tones. The first visit will last approximately five hours, and the other two visits will last approximately four hours each. The project will take approximately two years to complete.

This study will evaluate the efficacy of ALKS 3831 in adult subjects with acute exacerbation of schizophrenia.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) for treatment of negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. The proposed design is a clinical trial, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Participants will receive ten sessions of active or sham stimulation in five consecutive days. 100 patients will be randomized into two groups (active tDCS vs sham tDCS) and will be assessed after the intervention: 2, 4, 6 and 12 weeks after. As objectives, the investigators expect to see a clinical improvement of negative symptoms through scales PANSS (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale), Calgary, Auditory verbal hallucinations, SANS (Skills for Assessment of Negative Symptoms), and expect improvement on computerized cognitive tests. Another goal is to see improvement in biological markers related to schizophrenia, plasma and DNA will be stored.

In this study, investigators will examine the behavioral effects and neurophysiological mechanisms of the pro-social neuropeptide oxytocin in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia. Such research is a necessary first step towards identifying whether intranasal oxytocin administration can serve as an adjunct treatment for social impairments in schizophrenia. Aim 1: To quantify the effects of exogenous oxytocin on social cognition and behavior in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia. Hypothesis A: Patients and healthy comparison subjects will show enhanced social cognition (e.g., improved interpretation of paralinguistic and emotional cues, such as those involved in emotional or sarcastic communication) after administration of oxytocin versus placebo. Hypothesis B: Patients and healthy comparison subjects will show increased attention to others' eyes and patients will exhibit increased facial affect expressivity after administration of oxytocin versus placebo. Aim 2: To examine the effects of exogenous oxytocin on persistent negative symptoms in schizophrenia (PNS) activity in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia. Hypothesis A: Patients and healthy comparison subjects will demonstrate increased PNS activity during social tasks after administration of oxytocin versus placebo. Hypothesis B (exploratory): Patients and healthy comparison subjects' improvements in social cognition and behavior will be predicted by the degree to which oxytocin increases their PNS activity.

This study evaluates the addition of a 8 session psychological program, called Positive Emotions Program for Schizophrenia (PEPS) to improve motivation and pleasure in adults with schizophrenia. Half of the participants will receive their usual treatment and PEPS in combination, while the other half will receive usual treatment only.

This study evaluates whether prospective pharmacogenetic testing is cost-effective in affecting clinical treatment outcomes in patients with early-phase psychosis.