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Enhancing Synaptic Plasticity and Cognition in Schizophrenia

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Schizophrenia
Registration Number
NCT01776112
Lead Sponsor
University Medical Center Goettingen
Brief Summary

To explore: (a) if physical exercise (sports) combined with cognitive training leads to (superior) improvement of cognition in schizophrenia compared to sports or cognitive training alone (b) if a sports program alone or in combination with cognitive training has influence on hippocampal pathology and synaptic plasticity in schizophrenia compared to a placebo condition.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
66
Inclusion Criteria
  • Male and female patients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia (based on ICD-10 criteria)
  • Age between 18 and 55
  • Verbal IQ ≥ 85
  • Stable psychopathology on constant medication for 2 weeks
  • Informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria

Patients, who are

  • not willing or able to participate in the sports program and cognitive training
  • reveal a significant worsening of psychopathology (based on an increase over 20% of the PANSS positive score)
  • have an organic mental disorder (such as intoxication or neurological disorders of the CNS)
  • suffer from instable somatic diseases
  • have an active substance abuse

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Hippocampal volumeafter three months of exercise

Measurement of hippocampal volume before and after the exercise intervention, 3T-MRI MPRAGE-Sequence, manual and automated delineation of hippocampal borders

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Verbal Learning Memoryafter three months of exercise

Neuropsychological assessment of a working memory domain via the Verbal Learning Memory Test (German: Helmstaedter, C., Lendt, M., Lux, S., 2001. Verbaler Lern- und Merkfähigkeitstest (VLMT). Göttingen, Beltz)

Positive and negative symptomsafter three months of exercise

Measurement of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia using the "Positive and Negative Symptom Scale for Schizophrenia" (Kay SR, Fiszbein A, Opler LA. The positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 1987;13(2):261-76)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen, Georg-August-University

🇩🇪

Goettingen, Lower Saxony, Germany

Dept. of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Goettingen, Georg-August-University
🇩🇪Goettingen, Lower Saxony, Germany

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