Brain Stimulation for Schizophrenia

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Tarek K Rajji, MD

Research Sponsored by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Be between 18 and 65 years old

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up 1 day and 7 days post n-back task

Summary

This triallooks at how a drug can improve memory and brain activity in people with schizophrenia.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for adults diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, stable in their condition and medication. They must be able to understand English, provide consent, and have adequate vision and hearing. Excluded are those with bipolar disorder, major depression, recent drug dependence, certain psychiatric diagnoses, a family history of psychosis in close relatives, unstable psychotropic medication use, left-handedness or other neurological issues.

What is being tested?

The study tests the effects of brain stimulation (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia patients. It aims to see if this can improve cognitive tasks related to that brain area by inducing long-term potentiation (LTP), which is like strengthening brain connections.

What are the potential side effects?

While not specified here, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation may cause discomfort at the stimulation site on the scalp, headache or lightheadedness during or after treatment. In rare cases it could induce seizures.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ 1 day and 7 days post n-back task

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~1 day and 7 days post n-back task

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and 1 day and 7 days post n-back task for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

Changes in working memory

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Active Control

Placebo Group

Group I: PAS 25Active Control1 Intervention

In humans, paired associative stimulation (PAS-25) is a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol that has been shown to result in LTP-like plasticity (PAS-LTP) in the motor cortex (M1). PAS-LTP has been shown to be dependent on the NMDAR and to correlate significantly with performance on a motor learning task.

Group II: PAS 100Placebo Group1 Intervention

To control for non-specific effects of PAS protocol, the investigators will use a modified PAS protocol (PAS-100) that does not result in any neurophysiologic effects. Patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls will be assessed first with the N-back task and then randomized

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