Clinical Research Directory

DecNef for Auditory Verbal Hallucinations (AVH) in Schizophrenia

The purpose of this study is to learn whether a research neurofeedback training approach done during MRI scans may help reduce hallucinations such as the experience of hearing voices persistent despite treatment.

Combination Therapy of Deferiprone and N-Acetylcysteine for Treating Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia

In following guidelines for studying negative symptoms in schizophrenia, 60 patients aged 18-40, diagnosed with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder during the last ten years, will receive a combination of the iron chelator DFP plus NAC or a matching placebo plus NAC combination, as add-on to their maintenance antipsychotic drug (APD) treatment, for a duration of 36 weeks. Prior to initiation of treatment, all participants will undergo baseline MRI scan. A follow-up MRI will be conducted at the end of the 36-week study period, or upon early withdrawal if applicable, to evaluate the effect of the add-on treatment on iron dyshomeostasis and morphology.

Digital Therapeutics for Social Cognitive Function in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and preliminary effectiveness of a smartphone-based digital therapeutic application (AffectUs) for improving social cognition, particularly emotion processing and social cue perception, in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. In this randomized controlled trial, participants will be assigned either to use AffectUs for 10 weeks in addition to treatment as usual or to receive psychoeducational materials and treatment as usual. Participants will complete assessments at baseline, week 5, week 10, and week 15 to evaluate social cognition, clinical outcomes, and safety.

A PET/MRI Study of Cobenfy on Dopamine Transmission in Schizophrenia

This is a single site clinical trial in which 12 participants with schizophrenia will be randomized to one of three doses of treatment with Cobenfy for 5 weeks. \[18F\]DOPA PET scans will be obtained before and after treatment to examine the effects of Cobenfy on dopamine transmission. The overall objective of the current study is to measure Cobenfy's ability to engage its putative target (DA transmission/synthesis capacity in the striatum and midbrain as measured by \[18F\]DOPA Kicer (\[18F\]DOPA relative uptake rate)).

A Virtual Reality Mindfulness Application for Aggression in Schizophrenia

The study investigates whether a virtual reality-based mindfulness based intervention can reduce impulsive aggression in individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The primary goal is to evaluate whether mindfulness delivered via VR (MBI-VR) improves emotion regulation and engages the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), a brain region involved in cognitive control and regulation of emotional responses. The study also examines whether these effects show a dose-related relationship. Participants will be randomized to receive different doses of MBI-VR intervention or distraction tasks and will complete repeated mindfulness VR sessions. Brain activity will be measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during an emotion regulation task, along with clinical assessments of impulsive aggression related symptoms.

Confirmatory Trial of Gamma Neurofeedback to Improve Working Memory in Schizophrenia

This study is a confirmatory, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (RCT) testing whether gamma EEG neurofeedback (EEG-NFB) improves working memory in adults with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either active gamma EEG-NFB (real-time feedback of frontal gamma brain activity) or sham EEG-NFB (false pre-recorded feedback), twice weekly for 12 weeks. Working memory (N-back task), brain gamma coherence, and everyday community functioning are assessed at baseline, mid-treatment, end of treatment, and follow-up.