Clinical Research Directory

Retrospective Analyses of the Greenbrook Database Evaluating Mental Health Treatments

The study involves multiple retrospective analyses to understand the utilization of mental health treatments provided at Greenbrook and their effectiveness

Open-Label Psilocybin Study in Transdiagnostic Population

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the safety, feasibility, and tolerability of psilocybin treatment in individuals with functional impairment due to psychiatric symptoms. The secondary objective of this study is to determine whether individuals with functional impairments due to psychiatric symptoms will experience statistically significant symptom reduction and functional improvement from baseline symptom measurements (Visit 3) to 1-week (Visit 7), 4-weeks (Visit 8), and 6-weeks (Visit 9) post dosing. The investigators will recruit individuals with mood, anxiety, trauma, addictive, or related symptomatology, and who have functional impairment associated with these symptoms. A DSM-5 diagnosis is not required (nor is it an exclusion). The investigators will allow for comorbidity and only exclude based on psychological and physiological safety considerations. Critically, this approach will allow us to assess the tolerability of our interventions in individuals who would typically be excluded from efficacy studies due to various comorbid DSM-5 conditions. The investigators will employ an open-label study where participants will be given one dose of oral psilocybin 25mg. The investigators will also have follow-up visits at 1, 4, and 6 weeks and an optional long-term follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months.

A Clinical Trial of Tolcapone in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

The primary aim of the present study is to examine the efficacy and safety of tolcapone in adults with moderate to severe OCD.

Neurostimulation Versus Therapy for Problems With Emotions

The primary goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the unique neural and behavioral effects of a one-session training combining emotion regulation skills training, with excitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). The secondary aim is to identify key changes in the emotion regulation neural network following the combined intervention versus each of the components alone. The third aim is to explore personalized biomarkers for response to emotion regulation training. Participants will undergo brain imaging while engaging in an emotional regulation task. Participants will be randomly assigned to learn one of two emotion regulation skills. Participants will be reminded of recent stressors and will undergo different types of neurostimulation, targeted using fMRI (functional MRI) results. Participants who may practice their emotion regulation skills during neurostimulation in a one-time session. Following this training, participants will undergo another fMRI and an exit interview to assess for immediate neural and behavioral changes. Measures of emotion regulation will be assessed at a one week and a one month follow up visit.

Accelerated TMS for Depression and OCD

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a FDA-approved treatment for depression and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The goal of the study is to learn how to optimize the treatment to improve symptoms of depression and OCD. This research project will test a new accelerated 5-day accelerated rTMS protocol for treating symptoms of depression and OCD. A second goal of this study is to identify biomarkers of depression and OCD in the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This approach will predict who will benefit from TMS, determine the optimal treatment target, and improve treatment outcomes. Subjects will receive a clinical assessment of symptoms and an fMRI brain scan before and after each treatment course to measure the effect of treatment on symptom severity and on fMRI measures of functional connectivity. Participants will be randomized to receive rTMS targeting either the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) or the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC). Participants will complete a 5-day course of rTMS delivered hourly for 10 hours per day. Participants who show a partial response to treatment but not a full response will then receive a second 5-day course. Treatment non-responders will be crossed over to receive rTMS targeting the opposite brain area. The primary hypothesis is that accelerated rTMS treatment will yield rapid improvement in symptoms for patients with depression and OCD in just 5 days, and that response rates can be further improved by adding a second 5-day treatment course.

Objective Characterizatoion of Repetitive Behaviors

Introduction: Repetitive behaviors (RB) constitute a broad range of symptoms across different psychiatric/neurologic disorders. The most famous are stereotypies (found in autism), compulsions (found in obsessive-compulsive-disorder, OCD) and tics (found in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS). For some patients, it is sometime difficult to distinguish the nature of the repetitive behaviors presented, however this distinction is crucial in order to chose the appropriate treatment. Aim: In our study, the investigators will try to define electrophysiological and accelerometric marker of both OCD and tics to allow objective distinction between both tics and compulsions. Method: Subjects: Both OCD and GTS patients will be recruited, 25 patients in each group. Protocol: our study protocol will involve two step: a step in laboratory, another step at patient home. * first step: both patients group will be recorded through a high density EEG and a portative EEG while doing a task of symptom provocation. Then they will get an anatomical MRI for source recontruction. Finally, the patients will have to mimic their symptom while wearing an accelerometer (a smartwatch). * second step: both patient groups will be recorded at home through a portative EEG while tagging their symptom through a smartwatch (also used for accelerometry). After the recording, the patients will keep the smartwatch for 2 weeks, still tagging their sympoms (compulsions or tics).

Cerebral and Cognitive Markers of Treatment Resistance in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

This study aims to define individual profiles of treatment resistants in order to find indicators and predictors of the therapeutic response.

Implementing Team-Based Treatment for Pediatric Anxiety in Community Mental Health Settings

The purpose of this study is to test how the delivery of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for pediatric anxiety and OCD via different methods might increase its availability and effectiveness. CBT involves teaching the patient skills to enable them to gradually come into contact with feared situations. This process of gradually approaching feared situations is called exposure. Although CBT with exposure has the best evidence for treating anxiety disorders, not all children have equal access or respond the same way to CBT. As part of this study, patients will receive weekly CBT treatment sessions involving a combination of weekly visits with an exposure coach and one visit a month with a licensed provider (e.g., psychologist, social worker). This treatment will be delivered using one of three methods: 1) in-person (face-to-face sessions, occurring in the office and the home/community), or 2) telehealth (entirely remote sessions via web-based video conference), or 3) flexible (individualized mix of in-person and/or telehealth sessions). Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to one of these three methods. Results of this study will help determine which treatment method works best for whom. Treatment as described above will occur as part of care at partnering community care sites in Rhode Island. Providers from the following partnering community care sites will make up patient treatment teams: Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, Family Services of Rhode Island, Gateway Healthcare, Newport Mental Health, and Thrive Behavioral Health. The research study is being conducted by the Pediatric Anxiety Research Center at Brown University Health. The research team will conduct the study assessments that patients will be asked to participate in as study participants. Patients will be asked to complete assessments prior to starting treatment, at two time points during treatment, at the end of treatment, and at two timepoints 3 and 6 months following the end of treatment. Participants will be compensated for their time completing research assessments.

Paired tVNS With ERP in OCD

In the proposed investigation, the investigator will develop pilot data for the use of tVNS (transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation) to enhance efficacy of exposure and response prevention therapy (ERP) to improve treatment success in patients with OCD. This data will include tolerability information from therapists and patients with OCD, effect sizes on real world clinical outcomes for the combinatory treatment, and mechanistic data on brain changes associated with treatment.

How Hormones and Exposure and Response Prevention (EX/RP) Affect the Brain of People With OCD

Studies show that hormones affect the brain's fear extinction network, which is relevant for therapy involving exposure and response prevention (EX/RP), a first-line treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). This study will examine the effect of delivering EX/RP to women during different phases in their menstrual cycle to determine the effects of hormones on the fear extinction network and on their OCD symptoms.

Neuromodulation for a Novel OCD Biomarker and Treatment

Although multiple treatments for OCD exist, slow symptom decrease, high remission, and significant side effects for some OCD patients limit their efficacy. More research into the precise neural mechanisms and linked cognitive functions in OCD is also necessary. To address both concerns, this study by Dr. Reinhart and his team will test a new, non-invasive, and well-tolerated neuromodulation method for reducing OCD symptoms, based on reward-related rhythms of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; a brain region responsible for reward, decision making and other crucial functions that is affected by OCD). This proposal is based on highly encouraging preliminary data in both subsyndromal and treatment-resistant populations that shows rapid reductions in OCD behaviors that last at least 1-3 months. Using high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS) guided by EEG brain wave recordings, the study will test whether repetitive modulation of relevant rhythm activity in the OFC can lead to rapid (within five days) and sustainable (up to three months) OCD symptom reduction. This research aims to increase knowledge of OCD and development of effective treatment with minimal side effects.

Measuring Automated Behavioral Observations & Vocal Expressions (ABOVE)

The investigators propose to synchronize automated measurements of behavior - head, body, and face dynamics, gaze, and vocal prosody - with simultaneous recordings of brain activity in clinically relevant contexts.

Locating Biomarkers in OCD Through Behavioral Tasks

Subjects that have a diagnosis of OCD will participate in a clinical interview and cognitive tasks, during which they will be exposed to their individual OC stressors or will be asked to make decisions related to information value and quantity while measuring neural activity and filming facial reactions. This will assist investigators to look for biomarkers of that change. This study offers a unique opportunity to develop biomarkers for key domains of OCD, and other neuropsychiatric disorders, that are grounded in brain neurocircuitry at the individual-patient level. Subjects will participate in a clinical interview (Day 1), and then tasks+EEG (Day 2). Day 1 will be 4 hours or less, and Day 2 will be 2.5 hours or less.

Open/Aftercare Treatment for Participants Diagnosed With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

The purpose of this study is to provide participants diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and completed one of the active study protocols at the Rodriguez Lab, with open/aftercare treatment.

Light Therapy for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD)

The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether light therapy is effective for reducing symptoms in young adults with OCD and late bedtimes (1am or later). The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: Does light therapy reduce OCD symptoms? Does light therapy advance the circadian clock? If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare a higher dose of light therapy to a lower dose to see if dose amount affects symptom reduction. Participants will asked to: 1. Wear light therapy glasses for 1 hour each morning and complete a daily light therapy log for 5 weeks 2. Track their sleep every day with a wearable monitor and an electronic sleep diary for 5 weeks 3. Complete a 1-time assessment of sensitivity to light exposure 4. Complete self-report measures of OCD 4 times/day at baseline (2 weeks), mid-treatment (1 week), and end of treatment (1 week)

Testing a Transdiagnostic TMS Treatment Target

The goal of this clinical trial is to test a new brain stimulation treatment target for individuals with depression plus at least one additional psychiatric disorder. The main question is to understand the safety profile of a non-invasive form of brain stimulation called accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation when it is targeting the posterior parietal cortex. Additional questions focus on whether this stimulation improves symptoms of depression and other psychiatric disorders as well as whether this stimulation changes brain function.

Behavioural Development, Long-term Outcomes and Opportunities to Optimize Youth Mental Health Trajectories

Behavioural Development, Long-term Outcomes and Opportunities to Optimize Youth Mental Health (BLOOM) is a project that aims to overcome age and diagnostic boundaries to generate person-specific longitudinal profiles of mental health in youth aged 9 to 25. The overarching objective is to lay the informational foundation to accurately predict both clinical outcomes and opportunities to optimize health trajectories. This project will recruit youth in need without any mental health diagnosis and follow them annually for 5 years. The present study includes assessment of antecedents, opportunities and outcomes that will establish eligibility for preventive interventions

Personalized DBS for OCD Guided by Stereoencephalography Mapping

This is a double-blinded, randomized, crossover study design for SEEG-guided 4-lead DBS for treatment-refractory OCD, followed by open label stimulation for an additional 6 months. The study will be conducted in 3 stages: Stage 1 will consist of SEEG brain mapping and optimization of stimulation parameters. Stage 2 will consist of 4-lead DBS surgery with bilateral IPGs and further optimization of stimulation parameters. Stage 3 will be randomized, crossover treatment, followed by open label treatment.

Computer Game, Qualitative, and MEG/EEG Assessment of Serotonergic Psychedelics

The goal of this observational study is to learn how the brain's information processing changes during and following administration of serotonergic psychedelics (psilocybin, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine/DMT, Lystergic Acid Diethylamide/LSD, etc.) for people with and without mental illness receiving serotonergic psychedelics through any clinical trial at Yale University. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Do serotonergic psychedelics cause the brain to rely on new information more than previously learned information while under the influence? What about 1 day, 5-14 days, and 4-6 weeks after use? 2. Do serotonergic psychedelics cause long-lasting side-effects in how people perceive (see, hear, feel, etc.) the world and how easily people change their beliefs? 3. How does the brain's electrical activity change after using serotonergic psychedelics? How does the balance between excitation and inhibition change while under their effect? 4. Can changes in how the brain uses information predict who will benefit from a psychedelic and who will have side effects from psychedelics? Researchers will compare with people given placebos to see what changes in brain processing are unique to serotonergic psychedelics. Participants will have the opportunity to do some combination of the following: 1. Online computer assessments consisting of games and questionnaires that probe how participants think. 2. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) or electroencephalography (EEG) with eyes closed and with repeated clicks, images, or sensations delivered. 3. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. 4. Semi-structured qualitative interviews about their experience after taking a serotonergic psychedelic recorded via Zoom.

Multi-session, Personalized Cognitive Bias Modification for Thought-Action-Fusion

Thought-Action-Fusion (TAF) is a cognitive bias that posits (1) having unwanted thoughts is morally equivalent to acting upon the thoughts (TAF-Moral; e.g., "Thinking about harming a child is as immoral as actually harming a child") and (2) having unwanted thoughts will increase the likelihood of the thoughts happening in real life (TAF-Likelihood; e.g., "My mother will get into a car accident, because I thought about it"). Given its central role in the development and maintenance of OCD, TAF has emerged as a potential treatment target for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous research has demonstrated that TAF is indeed a malleable construct. This study aims to examine the effects of a multi-session, personalized cognitive bias modification (CBM) for thought-action-fusion (TAF) on improving obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms in a college sample.

Discovering Factors in the Clinical Study Journey of Patients With OCD

This research aims to collect comprehensive data on the clinical trial experience of OCD patients. Its goal is to identify the factors that limit patients' ability to join or complete a trial successfully. Clinical trial participation often favors specific demographic groups, and limited research exists on the impact of trial attributes on participation. Therefore, this study aims to analyze data from various demographic groups and identify any recurring trends that could provide valuable insights for future OCD patients.