View clinical trials related to Psychotic Disorder.
Filter by:This study will test the safety and effectiveness of the amino acid glycine in treating psychotic disorders in children. The drug will be given as an adjunct (in addition) to the patient's current antipsychotic medication. Children age nine to 18 with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder whose symptoms began before age 13 may be eligible for this 10-week study. Patients will be hospitalized during the course of the trial. Weekend visits home may be permitted. Children enrolled in the study will be evaluated during a two-week pre-treatment period with written tests for IQ and academic functioning and with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain. For the MRI, the child lies on a table that slides into a large donut-shaped machine with a strong magnetic field. This procedure produces images of the brain that may help identify brain abnormalities in schizophrenia that develop in childhood. During the eight-week treatment phase, patients will receive glycine powder dissolved in water once a day, in addition to their other antipsychotic medications. They will undergo the following additional procedures during the course of treatment: 1. Comprehensive psychiatric examination 2. Blood pressure and pulse monitoring once a week 3. Blood tests every other week - About one ounce of blood is drawn per week to measure glycine levels 4. Eye movement study at week eight - Using a technique called infrared oculography, special detectors measure infrared light reflected off the child's eyes while he or she watches a moving square on a video monitor. 5. Lumbar puncture (spinal tap) once during the study - About one-half ounce of cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord) is withdrawn through a needle placed in the lower part of the spine for analysis of brain chemicals. Patients who respond well may continue to receive glycine treatment through their referring physician after the study is completed. NIMH will follow patients by phone every six months and with visits at two-year intervals.
The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness and side effects of the drugs clozapine and olanzapine in children and adolescents with schizophrenia and psychoses. Childhood psychosis is a serious disorder that may have devastating consequences. Effective treatments for the condition are under continual investigation. This study will examine the causes of and offer treatment for childhood psychosis. Participants in this study will undergo psychological tests, blood and urine tests, electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (EKG), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the brain for the first 1 to 2 weeks of the study while taking their regular medications. Participants will then be tapered off their medications over 1 to 3 weeks and will continue to stay off medications for an additional 2 days to 3 weeks. During this time, participants will undergo psychiatric, neurological, and cardiac examinations as well as blood tests. After this period without medications, participants will be randomly assigned to receive either clozapine or olanzapine for 8 weeks. An EEG will be performed prior to treatment and after 6 weeks of study medication. Participants who respond well to the study drugs may continue to receive them through their own physician. Participants who do not respond to either clozapine or olanzapine or cannot tolerate their side effects will be treated individually with other drugs until optimum treatment is identified. Regular telephone updates and in person visits to NIH for repeat testing and MRIs will be conducted.
This clinical study compares the effectiveness of two anticonvulsants Lamotrigine (Lamictal) Monotherapy and Gabapentin (Neurontin) in patients with treatment resistant affective disorders. We initially have found that the response rate to lamotrigine (51%) exceeded that of gabapentin (28%) or placebo (21%). In this study the placebo phase has been dropped so that we examine possible clinical and biological factors predictors of response. The drugs will be given in a randomized order for six weeks each and you will not know when you are on a given one. There will be a 2-4 week "washout" period between treatments. If you respond well to one of these treatments, a longer open continuation period will be offered at the end of this study. This would involve one or both drugs in combination. A variety of rating scales and brain imaging procedures will also be offered before and during each drug evaluation. Both lamotrigine and gabapentin are generally well tolerated. A serious potentially life threatening rash occurs in about 1/500 patients treated with lamotrigine, however. Common side effects are rash, dizziness, unsteadiness, double vision, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, sedation, and headache. These side effects are usually mild, and resolve with continued time on the drug or a decrease in dosage.