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Brain Stimulation, Clinical Symptoms and Cognition

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Schizophrenia
Interventions
Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Registration Number
NCT05053451
Lead Sponsor
University of California, Davis
Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to test the impact of non-invasive brain stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), on auditory hallucinations, negative symptoms and cognition in schizophrenia. Clinical measures will be used to assess clinical symptoms and cognitive performance to test the hypothesis that a course of tDCS can reduce auditory hallucinations and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
5
Inclusion Criteria
  • Participants must be able to sufficiently speak and understand English so as to be able to understand and complete cognitive tasks.
  • All subjects must have the ability to give valid informed consent.
  • No children under the age of 18 will be recruited.
  • Diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or schizoaffective disorder
  • Stable outpatient or partial hospital status
  • Normal IQ (>70; IQ will be measured by administering the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI) test)
Exclusion Criteria
  • Pacemakers
  • Implanted electrical (brain and spinal) stimulators
  • Implanted defibrillator
  • Metallic implants
  • Skin damage or skin conditions such as eczema at the sites where electrodes will be placed
  • Hair styles hindering the placement of electrodes
  • Cranial pathologies
  • Head trauma
  • Epilepsy
  • Mental retardation
  • Any known history of neurological disorders (including epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, cerebral palsy, any DSM-5 axis I psychiatric disorder (for healthy control subjects), autism)
  • Uncorrected vision problems that would hinder cognitive testing (this also pertains to subjects with color blindness in tasks where discriminating colored objects/items is necessary for successful performance)
  • Pregnancy
  • Substance dependence in the past six months
  • Substance abuse in the past month

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
dlPFC/TPJ Stimulation + RestTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation20 minutes of 2 mA direct current stimulation during rest.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in Symptom Severity of Negative SymptomsAssessment begins with the initial baseline interview and concludes after a 2-week follow-up assessment using the same clinical measures.

Participants will undergo diagnostic (clinical) interviews to rate their symptom severity using measures including, but not limited to, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (rated 1-7, with a high rating indicating more severe symptoms), the Scale of the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (rated 0-5, with a high rating indicating more severe symptoms), and the Scale for the Assessment or Negative Symptoms (rated 0-5, with a high rating indicating more severe symptoms).

Change in Symptom Severity of Auditory HallucinationsAssessment begins with the initial baseline interview and concludes after a 2-week follow-up assessment using the same clinical measures.

Participants will undergo diagnostic (clinical) interviews to rate their symptom severity using measures including, but not limited to, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (rated 1-7, with a high rating indicating more severe symptoms), the Scale of the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (rated 0-5, with a high rating indicating more severe symptoms), and the Scale for the Assessment or Negative Symptoms (rated 0-5, with a high rating indicating more severe symptoms).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Imaging Research Center

🇺🇸

Sacramento, California, United States

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