Clinical Research Directory

French Minds Cohort: a French Longitudinal and Multimodal Cohort of Patients With Major Mood Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Healthy Controls

The goal of this study is to learn whether people living with severe psychiatric disorders can be grouped into more homogeneous subgroups, across usual diagnostic categories, based on two key dimensions: social withdrawal and anhedonia (reduced ability to feel pleasure). The study includes adolescents and adults aged 15 to 60 with schizophrenia, a first psychotic episode, bipolar disorder, recurrent or treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, or autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability, as well as healthy volunteers aged 18 to 60. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Can subgroups of patients sharing a common profile of social withdrawal and anhedonia be identified, with similar clinical, genetic, biological and brain imaging characteristics? * Do other dimensions (cognitive flexibility, neurodevelopmental, sensory and sleep disturbances, impulsivity) and specific clinical forms (e.g., autoimmune psychosis, metabolic abnormalities) define relevant subgroups, and how do these subgroups evolve over time? Researchers will compare patients with healthy volunteers to identify clinical and biological signatures specific to each subgroup. Participants will: * Attend an inclusion visit, two one-day assessment visits one year apart (clinical interviews, questionnaires, cognitive tests, fasting blood sample) and two brain MRI sessions * Optionally provide a stool sample collected at home * Complete questionnaires on a smartphone app and wear a connected watch (activity, sleep, heart rate) between visits * Take part in the study for about 18 months French Minds is conducted in about 35 centres in France and aims to include 2,500 patients and 500 healthy volunteers.

Validation and Comparative Multi-Omics Benchmarking of Fluid-Derived Volatilomics Biomarkers for the Prevention and Early Detection of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SZ) is one of the most severe and costly mental disorders in terms of human suffering and societal expenditure. Currently, there are no biomarkers that facilitate the early diagnosis of SZ. Early detection, even before the 6-month duration criteria for diagnosing SZ according to DSM-5, would be crucial for clinician's treatment decisions and patient counselling. While several biomarker candidates have been explored, including those related to neurotransmitter systems, neuroimaging findings, and genetic markers, none have been universally adopted in clinical practice as they lack predictive value. Volatilomics has demonstrated significant potential in refining diagnostic accuracy and improving patient outcomes, especially during the initial stages of SZ. Research has shown differences in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) like alkanes, ethane, and butane between individuals with SZ and bipolar disorder compared to healthy people. Most important measurement of VOCs is non-invasive, not of any major hurdle to the patient and not time consuming. VOLABIOS will advance the detection and prediction of SZ through the validation and investigation of various VOCs present in different body fluids, opening a diagnostic and prognostic knowledge space within the Patient Journey to measure clinical states and outcome risks with personalised sets of multimodal and validated instruments. Central to its mission is the validation process, conducted across multi-centre trials to ensure the reliability and universal applicability of VOC-based diagnostics.

FEEL-GOOD: A Multicenter Trial of a Mindfulness-Based Group Therapy in Young Adults With Early Psychosis

FEEL-GOOD is a prospective multi-site single-blinded randomized controlled trial in young inpatients with acute early psychosis. Participants are randomized 1:1 to FEEL-GOOD plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. The intervention consists of one individual preparatory session and eight modularized group sessions delivered over four weeks involving four to eight participants at each session and including practice and homework tasks. Outcomes are assessed at baseline, 4 weeks post-intervention, and 6 months follow-up, with the primary outcome being observer-rated total psychopathology as measured with the assessed by the total score of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) post-treatment (4 weeks post baseline).

tACS for Self-Other Boundary in Schizophrenia

This clinical trial investigates whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can improve the ability to distinguish between "self" and "others" in patients with schizophrenia. The intervention targets the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a brain region critical for self-awareness, using 10Hz stimulation at 2mA for 20 minutes daily over five consecutive days. The study has two main objectives. First, it aims to characterize the underlying mechanisms of self-other boundary dysfunction in schizophrenia by comparing behavioral and brain activity patterns among three participant groups: patients with schizophrenia, individuals with high schizotypal traits, and healthy volunteers. During this mechanism phase, participants perform two computer-based self-other face recognition tasks designed to manipulate prior probability (varying the proportion of self vs. other faces across blocks) and perceptual uncertainty (adjusting the Gaussian blur level of face images), while their brain activity is recorded via EEG. Behavioral performance (response time, accuracy, and sensitivity d') and EEG markers (alpha-band power, N170, and P1 components) are analyzed to quantify deficits in predictive coding. Second, the study aims to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of tACS in a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial. The primary hypothesis is that active tACS, compared to sham stimulation, will significantly improve patients' accuracy in distinguishing self from other faces, accompanied by enhanced alpha-band brain oscillations and reduced scores on the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE) scale. All participants will undergo clinical assessments, complete the face recognition tasks while their brain activity is monitored via EEG, and complete follow-up assessments 48 hours after the last stimulation session. The findings from this study may provide a novel, mechanism-based non-pharmacological intervention for addressing core self-disturbance in schizophrenia, potentially improving patients' social functioning and quality of life.

Building a Computational Model of Auditory Hallucinations

Some people hear voices or sounds that other people cannot hear; these are called auditory hallucinations. The study aims to understand what is happening in the brain when this occurs and will use brain scans to learn more. Greater understanding should help develop better treatments in the future.

Efficacy and Safety of Individualized Sequential Accelerated Theta Burst Stimulation in Improving Cognitive Function in Schizophrenia

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if sequential dual-site accelerated theta burst stimulation (SD-aTBS) targeting the frontoparietal network and default mode network works to improve cognitive function in adults with schizophrenia. It will also learn about the safety of SD-aTBS. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does SD-aTBS improve cognitive function in participants with schizophrenia? What are the neurobiological mechanisms (brain network and synaptic plasticity changes) underlying the effects of SD-aTBS? Researchers will compare real SD-aTBS to sham stimulation to see if SD-aTBS is effective and safe for treating cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Participants will: Receive real SD-aTBS or sham stimulation for 10 consecutive working days Complete clinical symptom assessments, cognitive function tests, MRI scans, and EEG recordings at baseline, after treatment, and 1 month after treatment Undergo SV2A-PET scans at baseline and 1 month after treatment

Healing Stigma Through Stories

This study is the first phase of the research project. The purpose of this phase is to develop and refine a narrative-based intervention designed to reduce self-stigma among people with schizophrenia. A small pilot study will be conducted with 24 participants recruited from halfway houses in northern Taiwan. Eligible participants will receive the intervention, which consists of four group sessions and four individual sessions, held once a week for a total of eight weeks. The program uses narrative therapy techniques to help participants explore their personal experiences and reduce self-stigma. Participants will complete a workbook during the program, and the written content will be analyzed to better understand their experiences with stigma. Any personal information will be removed to protect participants' privacy. Before and after the intervention, participants will complete questionnaires on self-stigma, depression, social functioning, well-being, hope, and recovery. Information on medication use will also be collected. Group and individual sessions will be audio-recorded for research purposes. The questionnaire data and recordings will be used to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effects of the intervention.

The Effect of Structured Medical Nutrition Therapy on Systemic Inflammation Index in Patients With Schizophrenia Receiving Antipsychotic Therapy

Patients with schizophrenia receiving long-term antipsychotic therapy are at increased risk of chronic low-grade inflammation and metabolic disturbances, which contribute to poor physical health outcomes and increased cardiovascular morbidity. Structured Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), consisting of individualized nutrition assessment, dietary intervention, nutrition education, and regular monitoring, has the potential to improve dietary quality and modulate systemic inflammation. This study aims to evaluate the effect of Structured Medical Nutrition Therapy on the Systemic Inflammation Index (SII), a novel inflammatory biomarker derived from neutrophil, lymphocyte, and platelet counts, in patients with schizophrenia receiving antipsychotic therapy. It is hypothesized that patients receiving structured MNT will demonstrate a greater reduction in SII compared with those receiving standard nutritional care, supporting the integration of evidence-based nutritional interventions into the comprehensive management of schizophrenia to improve metabolic and inflammatory outcomes.

A Cognitive Mobile Intervention for Motivation in Psychotic Disorders

The goal of this study is to develop and test the impact of a smartphone-based working memory cognitive training digital therapeutic for individuals with schizophrenia or a related disorder.

NST-SPARK Open-Label Phase 1 STTR (IGNITE)

Schizophrenia Spectrum disorders (SSD) are among the most devastating psychiatric disorders. Prominent negative symptoms such as low motivation, anhedonia, asociality, and emotional flattening are experienced by up to 60% of individuals with SSD and are often considered to be the greatest contributors to functional disability. Currently, there are no FDA-approved or cleared medications or therapeutics targeting negative symptoms of schizophrenia. In this phase I proposal, North Shore Therapeutics (NST) is collaborating with the Feinstein Institutes of Medical Research (FIMR; Northwell Health) and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) to develop a novel augmented reality (AR) therapeutic (NST-SPARK) targeting negative symptoms in individuals with SSD. NST-SPARK is a smartphone application that delivers Recovery-oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) via gamified AR experiences to provide experiential learning that dismantles maladaptive beliefs. Preliminary findings suggest that this approach is feasible, acceptable, and may reduce defeatist beliefs associated with negative symptoms. NST-SPARK v.2.0 is being developed in partnership with a lived experience advisory panel. NST-SPARK v2.0 will deliver a 12-week course of treatment and will be developed over 10 development sprints spanning 9 months. In the second phase, the investigators will introduce NST-SPARK v2.0 to individuals with SSD (n=30) and moderate to severe negative symptoms for 12 weeks in a single-arm open-label study. The primary outcome is the efficacy of NST-SPARK v.2.0 in reducing experiential negative symptoms. Secondary outcomes include efficacy in reducing defeatist beliefs; efficacy in improving functioning; user statistics quantifying adherence to the prescribed sessions; qualitative, semi-structured feedback to guide future product development. This study will set the stage for FDA-informed phase II trials.

Brain Imaging of Cognition Inn Schizophrenia and Depression

Schizophrenia and depression are among the most disabling disorders in all of medicine. Cognitive deficits play a key role in patients' disability, affecting their capacity to contribute actively to society by sustaining employment or academic activity. Moreover, cognitive difficulties tend to persist even after the stabilization of other clinical symptoms. Verbal memory and emotion regulation are two important cognitive domains that are impaired in schizophrenia and depression and are associated with patients' functional outcomes. In this study, brain imaging is used to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying these cognitive deficits in these populations.