View clinical trials related to Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.
Filter by:This study aims to test the feasibility and acceptability of a brief behavioral intervention that combines two treatments, Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), that have been shown to work in prior research studies. The format of the intervention will be a combination of in-person sessions and remote elements delivered via mobile phone (together called MI-CBTech). The goal of the intervention is to improve community integration in Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) who have experienced homelessness. A time- and format-matched control arm will include remote mindfulness training. 50 Veterans with SMI experiencing homelessness will be randomized to one of the two arms (25 per arm).
The effectiveness of current treatment options for sociocognitive deficits and negative symptoms (NS) in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) remains limited. The cause of NS is thought to be an interference between the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system for social reward expectancy and the network for socioemotional processes. Oxytocin (OXT) may enhance functional connectivity between these neuronal networks. Lower plasma OXT levels correlate negatively with NS severity and deficits in social cognition in SSD. It has been shown that intranasal OXT administration improves social cognition in healthy subjects but in SSD results are inconsistent. According to the social salience hypothesis, the effect of OXT varies depending on the social context and individual factors. Also, OXT-mediated effects on psychopathology and NS may depend on genetic variants of OXT receptors (OXTR). In a pilot study, the investigators demonstrated a lower NS by OXT administration in the positive social context of MBGT in SSD. The investigators also demonstrated that NS and other symptoms improved after mindfulness-based group psychotherapy (MBGT). The aim of this study in individuals with SSD is to examine the effect of combining OXT administration with MBGT on NS, affect, and stress with psychological and biological markers. The main hypothesis to be tested is that the use of OXT compared to placebo prior to MBGT in patients with SSD will result in a greater reduction in NS. The research design is based on an experimental, triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia interfere with daily life-from managing self-care, to more complex tasks like taking medications and living independently. Unfortunately, these cognitive symptoms are not corrected by 'standard of care' treatments (antipsychotic medications), although some schizophrenia patients may experience modest clinical and cognitive benefits from cognitive remediation. To enhance the clinical impact of cognitive remediation and other rehabilitative interventions for Veterans living with chronic psychosis, this study will develop novel brain-based tools to help identify those Veterans who are most likely to benefit from pro-cognitive therapies. These studies may advance predictive algorithms that improve functional outcomes and life quality in Veterans with schizophrenia.
Rates of obesity in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (SSD)s have reached epidemic proportions, with established contributing effects of antipsychotic (AP) medications. Among agents approved for chronic weight management, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are associated with reductions in cardiovascular mortality, with recent FDA approval for once weekly semaglutide for this indication. This study will investigate whether semaglutide is effective in reducing body weight in overweight or obese individuals with SSDs who are on APs and do not demonstrate adequate weight loss on metformin (the first line treatment for weight loss in SSDs).