View clinical trials related to Psychotic Disorders.
Filter by:Older adults with schizophrenia are a growing segment of the population yet their physical health status is poor. In order to design effective interventions, the contributing factors must be understood. Current data suggest the side effects of psychiatric medications, sociodemographic factors, and health care disparities are a few of the reasons for the poor physical health. There are only limited data on the impact of psychiatric symptomatology and neurocognition on the physical health of this population. These limited data indicate that worse symptomatology and poorer neurocognition may negatively impact physical functioning, a critical component to optimal physical health. The purpose of this pilot study is to begin to fill this knowledge gap by: 1. examining the relationship between neurocognitive function and physical function and 2. Examining the relationship between schizophrenia symptoms and physical function. 3. Examining the relationship between serum Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and physical function. Using a descriptive correlational design, 50 older adults (55+) with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder will be assessed. Bivariate associations will be used to examine the relationship between key variables including schizophrenia symptoms as measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), neurocognitive function as measured with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), Physical Function as measured objectively by the Timed Get Up and Go (TGUG) test and subjectively with the physical component summary subscale of the 12-item short form health survey (SF-12), and serum BDNF. These pilot data will lay the foundation for a future health promoting intervention.
This study involves people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, who are currently taking antipsychotic medications. Some antipsychotic medications may cause an increase in cholesterol levels, which may lead to inflammation in the body. Inflammation poses a risk in developing heart disease, diabetes and problems with brain function. The purpose of this study is to see if pravastatin can: - Lower cholesterol - Decrease inflammation - Improve cognition in patients with schizophrenia
The purpose of this study is to determine whether individuals with psychotic spectrum disorders ( Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective disorder,Schizophreniform Disorder, Bipolar Disorder (Type I),Bipolar Disorder (Type II),Major Depressive Disorder With Psychotic Features,Substance-Induced Psychoses,Psychosis Not-Otherwise-Specified (NOS)randomly assigned to a stepped behavioral intervention for the prevention of weight gain will experience less weight gain than individuals who receive usual care. There are several studies that have examined the effect of pharmacological and non-pharmacological behavioural approaches for weight loss in patients with psychosis, however studies examining strategies for prevention of obesity are lacking. This study is an important and novel approach to studying the problem of obesity in those with psychosis.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of calorie and fat content on the pharmacokinetics of Lurasidone HCl in subjects with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophreniform disorder.
This study involves pilot testing of a modified version of a proven treatment for mental illness. The treatment, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is used to treat more than 100,000 Americans yearly. ECT is the most effective treatment for major depression, a disorder that affects approximately 5 to 8 percent of the adult US population yearly. It is also an effective treatment for mania and mixed mood states associated with bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. The aim of ECT is to induce a seizure, which is thought to be responsible for both its therapeutic and its adverse cognitive effects. The proposed modification consists of reducing the ECT electrical stimulus dose below the amount necessary to induce seizures so that adverse cognitive effects, such as confusion and memory problems, are minimized. The investigators intend to determine whether ECT-related cognitive impairment can be reduced without diminishing the therapeutic effect of ECT. In addition to distressing patients, ECT-related cognitive impairment has significant public health consequences. These include increased morbidity and mortality among severely ill individuals who refuse ECT due to concern over its adverse cognitive effects as well as increased falls among the elderly receiving ECT. Elderly patients are far more likely to receive ECT and are also more vulnerable to ECT-related cognitive impairment. They often require hospitalization for ECT and a longer hospital stay with greater spacing of treatments to minimize adverse cognitive effects. The hypothesis driving this research is that electrical brain stimulation applied in the same manner as standard ECT, but at a lower dose, can have therapeutic effects and fewer adverse cognitive effects without inducing seizures. This hypothesis is based on the following: 1) the investigators clinical experience of patients who have improved with ECT despite having only one or no seizure, 2) animal studies showing that electrical brain stimulation can induce antidepressant like effects in animals without inducing seizures, 3) reports from the 1950s that "subconvulsive" and "nonconvulsive" electrotherapy was effective for some patients, and 4) the recent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration of the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation --a technique that uses a magnet to induce an electrical current in the brain without inducing seizures--for treatment of medication resistant major depression. The primary aim of the research is to conduct a proof of concept, open trial investigating the therapeutic efficacy and safety of nonconvulsive electrotherapy (NET). The investigators plan to enroll 16 subjects, which is the minimum number of subjects needed to show that the therapeutic effect of NET is better than would be expected of placebo. If the investigators show that the therapeutic effect of NET exceeds that expected of placebo and does not induce significant cognitive impairment, then the investigators will go on to propose a blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial that more definitively tests the investigators' hypothesis. The investigators would use the information gathered from the pilot trial to estimate the number of subjects needed to definitively test the efficacy and safety of NET. The secondary aim of the study is to find out whether NET affects blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is a substance that is important to the nervous system and may be related to how treatments like ECT or possibly NET improve symptoms. The investigators would draw a blood sample before and after NET treatment to assess this.
In this study, we are going to investigate quantitative and qualitative natures of appetite and eating-behavior changes induced by atypical antipsychotics, i.e., risperidone, olanzapine and aripiprazole, in schizophrenia patients.
The purpose of this study is to compare 6 monthly counseling sessions to 6 monthly information sessions on Veterans' decisions to (a) participate in vocational rehabilitation services and (b) become employed.
This study seeks to examine the effectiveness of citalopram added to treatment with any oral or injectable second-generation antipsychotic plus standardized psychoeducation in first episode schizophrenia patients. Because depressive symptoms are common in first episode patients, we will test the hypothesis that adding the SSRI citalopram to a pre-established medication regimen will improve quality of life and decrease relapse and suicidality over the course of a 12-month trial.
Background: - Eye tracking, the ability to focus on and follow a moving target with the eyes, is often difficult for people who have schizophrenia. Research has shown that first-degree relatives of people with schizophrenia, such as parents and siblings, also tend to have difficulty with smooth eye movement and eye tracking. Researchers are interested in using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain activity during eye tracking tests in order to better understand the effect that schizophrenia has on brain function. Objectives: - To study eye-tracking and eye-tracking impairments in people with and without schizophrenia. Eligibility: - Individuals between 18 and 62 years of age in one of three groups: (1) patients who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, (2) first-degree relatives of patients in group 1, and (3) healthy volunteers with no family history of psychosis. Design: - The study will involve two visits, one screening session and one testing session. Each session will take about 3 hours. - Participants will be asked to avoid consuming alcohol and restrict consumption of caffeine before the start of the study. Participants will provide urine and breath samples to be tested for chemicals that may interfere with the study. - Participants will visit the clinical center the morning of the day before the scanning session to provide blood and urine samples as required. Participants will return and be admitted for an overnight stay later that afternoon or evening. - During the screening session, participants will provide a medical and psychological history, provide blood samples, and learn the eye movement tasks they will do during the scanning session. - During the scanning session, participants will have an fMRI scan. During the scan, they will perform eye movement tasks that involve following moving light targets on a screen, and will also perform other tasks that test the ability to think and pay attention.
The study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of computerized cognitive skills training for improving memory and problem-solving skills in inpatients with schizophrenia.