View clinical trials related to Schizophrenia.
Filter by:Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe a complex clinical condition that includes abdominal obesity, increased level of serum triglycerides, elevated blood pressure, decreased level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high fasting glucose level. Metabolic syndrome represents one of the major risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. According to the results of numerous previously conducted studies, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among the individuals with schizophrenia is higher than in the general population. The reasons for the higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome among the individuals with schizophrenia are not yet fully clarified. Nevertheless, unhealthy dietary habits are considered to be one of the main factors that could have an impact on metabolic syndrome development. According to the results of published studies, individuals with schizophrenia have poorer dietary habits when compared to people without mental disorders. Although there are numerous previously published studies focused on the impact of nutritional interventions on metabolic syndrome in individuals with schizophrenia, there is still no consensus on what would be the most appropriate nutrition therapy for the treatment of metabolic syndrome in this specific population group. Furthermore, the vast majority of the published studies have been conducted on outpatients, with only a small number of them being carried out on hospitalized individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is primarily intended to those individuals with elevated blood pressure, but according to some authors, it could have beneficial effects in the treatment of the metabolic syndrome as well. DASH diet represents a healthy way of eating with a special emphasis on low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, together with an overall reduction in sodium intake. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the impact of dietary habits and nutrition intervention on metabolic syndrome parameters in hospitalized individuals with the diagnosis of schizophrenia. The investigators hypothesize that the intervention will result in the improvement in metabolic syndrome parameters, the amelioration in dietary habits, and the reduction in body weight.
Deficits or abnormalities in reward processing are present in a number of psychiatric disorders. The overarching objective of the study is to conduct initial validation work towards optimising three experimental tasks - which have previously been shown to be sensitive to reward processing deficits - for future use in clinical trials. This initial validation work has the primary objective to uncover group differences in task outcome measures between healthy control participants, participants with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and participants with schizophrenia (SZ) using statistical analyses. This may provide some indications for the use of these tasks as clinically-relevant biomarkers. Primary aims include: (i) comparing the investigator's endpoint means and distributions to those in previously published data; (ii) replication of previously-reported differences between MDD/SZ vs. healthy control participants, and, (iii) exploring the relationship between task endpoints and subjective participant- and clinician-rated report of reward-related constructs (e.g. anhedonia, negative symptoms).
This study will explore the effect of Adherence Therapy(AT) on medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
A double-blind controlled trial assessing the efficacy of anti-inflammatories on symptoms and cognition of adolescents with schizophrenia
The goal of this study is to pilot test a culturally tailored Family Psychoeducation model (KUPAA) for adults with psychotic disorders and their relatives that is appropriate for cultural settings inclusive of both traditional and biomedical ideas about mental illness and that incorporates relatives as co-facilitators of the intervention.
Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is a naturally occurring chemical in the brain. Studies with rodents indicate that levels of KYNA can impact levels of the neurotransmitters glutamate and dopamine. One way to reliably increase KYNA levels is by ingesting the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is a normal part of the human diet. Tryptophan gets metabolized/changed to other chemicals in the body- including KYNA. By giving people 6 grams of tryptophan, the investigators will be able to increase the KYNA level in a controlled way. The investigators will then be able to study the effects of KYNA on neurotransmitters by using cognitive tests and magnetic resonance imaging techniques (measuring brain activity and brain chemistry using the MRI magnet). The overall goal of the study is to examine how the medication N-acetylcysteine (NAC), when added to tryptophan, affects various cognitive functions, such as verbal and visual memory. The investigators will also use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine how NAC affects brain activity and chemicals.
Auditory mismatch negativity deficit is a robust neurophysiological biomarker of schizophrenia. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a neuromodulation method and can be used to modulate excitability of specific brain cortical region. We hypothesize that MMN deficit of schizophrenia is related to inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) hypofunction, and this deficit can be improved by using rTMS to enhance IFG function. It is a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled clinical trial. Forty-eight schizophrenia patients with MMN deficits (mean amplitude at FCz > -0.7 ㎶) will be recruited and then randomized at a 1:1 ratio to rTMS group and sham-stimulation group. Subjects in rTMS group will receive high frequency rTMS over IFG, while in the other group subjects will receive sham stimulation at IFG. Frameless stereotaxy navigation will be used to guide the rTMS coil to IFG. The primary outcome is the change of MMN mean amplitude at FCz after stimulation. We hypothesize that the change of MMN mean amplitude is significantly larger in rTMS group than in sham-stimulation group. Their cognitive function and clinical condition will be evaluated carefully before and after experiments.
Patients with schizophrenia , who visit frenquently day-care or day-care activities clinics, often experience difficulties of daily living and cognitive deficits. Living independently is a key for recovery. Cognitive remediation is a therapy which reduces deficit and improves daily living. Nowadays no program exists targeting neurocognitive functions in virtual reality which could mimic everyday life in a virtual town. Hypotheses : - Persons with schizophrenia experience difficulties in daily living and disabilities to plan in everyday life. PLANI-REV program, a serious game with a navigation in a virtual town, in a 15 weekly group sessions could reduce these difficulties compared to the initial assessment. This improvement could be maintained 6 months after the end of the program. - PLANI-REV could also improve prospective memory, attention, working memory, and visuospatial organization. - PLANI-REV could induce a clinical improvement, as well as better perception of self-efficiency, self esteem, quality of life, and conversation skills.
Approximately 60 chronic smokers with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who are motivated to try to quit smoking will be randomized to receive smoking cessation treatment with the FDA-approved medication, varenicline, delivered either a) at its standard dose and titration schedule (half of the participants) versus b) at a lower dose and slower titration schedule (the other half), for 12 weeks. All smokers will choose a target quit date sometime between 8 to 35 days after starting the medication. All participants will receive ten 30-minute sessions of a behavioral treatment called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Participants will be followed for an additional 12 weeks off study medication. The major endpoint is the feasibility of combining ACT with the different dosing strategies. Investigators will also conduct a blood test that measures the breakdown of nicotine in the body to explore whether that measure influences treatment response and side effects.
This is a two-stage adaptive Phase Ib trial design, that will identify two doses (lowest dose with clinical benefit and highest safe dose) in a first stage and better evaluate safety, tolerability and variability of effect in the second stage.