Schizoaffective Disorder Clinical Trials

Background: Some illnesses, such as schizophrenia, have effects on brain cells called dopamine receptors, which are required for normal brain function. People with schizophrenia have difficulty thinking and experience hallucinations and delusions. Medications that change brain dopamine receptors can decrease these hallucinations and delusions. The cause of schizophrenia and its association with brain dopamine receptors is not known but may be clarified by studying dopamine receptors in people who have dopamine disorders (such as schizophrenia) and those who do not. Researchers are interested in studying the dopamine system to gain a better idea of how dopamine disorders develop, which may lead to better medical care for people with schizophrenia. Objectives: - To study the amount and distribution of two types of dopamine receptors. Eligibility: Individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 who have schizophrenia. Healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 90. Design: Participants will undergo a full screening, with physical and psychological history, a neurological examination, and blood and urine samples. Participants will have a blood flow map of the brain recorded with a positron emission tomography (PET) brain scan. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan will also be performed to determine brain anatomy. To study the amount and distribution of dopamine receptors in the brain, participants will receive a small amount of a radioactive chemical in the vein, followed by a PET scan. The procedure will be performed twice in two separate sessions, once for [18F]fallypride and once for [11C]NNC-112. Read Less

The primary aim of this trial is evaluating the barriers and enablers of implementing a digital intervention with both therapeutic content and social networking, Horyzons, as part of clinical care in first episode psychosis (FEP) clinics in North Carolina. Providers (clinicians and peers support specialists) will be recruited from FEP clinics to assess Horyzons implementation and integration within clinical care at three time points (baseline, 6 months, and 12 months). Further, individuals experiencing FEP between the ages of 16 and 35 receiving services from the FEP clinics will be recruited to engage with the platform over the course of 12 months. Due to the nature of the digital intervention being implemented across the state of North Carolina, all research visits will be conducted remotely via videoconferencing. Read Less

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of valbenazine on patient- and clinician-reported outcomes assessing health-related quality of life, functioning, and treatment effect in participants with tardive dyskinesia (TD) who are receiving valbenazine for up to 24 weeks. Read Less

This large ongoing study at NIMH investigates the neurobiology of schizophrenia by identifying susceptibility genes, evaluating their impact on brain function to better understand how to treat and prevent this illness. Read Less

This is a randomized, controlled clinical trial to assess the effects of the ketogenic diet in combination with treatment as usual on brain energy metabolism and psychiatric symptoms in individuals with first episode bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. Read Less

Two-hundred and eighty individuals with schizophrenia who have a recent history of violent acts will be randomized in this 2-arm, parallel-group, 24-week, open-label, 7-site clinical trial to examine the effects of treatment with clozapine vs antipsychotic treatment as usual (TAU) for reducing the risk of violent acts in real-world settings Read Less

The CLOZAPINE study is designed as a multisite study across 5 sites and is a clinical trial, involving human participants who are prospectively assigned to an intervention. The study will utilize a stringent randomized, double-blinded, parallel group clinical trial design. B2 group will serve as psychosis control with risperidone as medication control. The study is designed to evaluate effect of clozapine on the B1 participants, and the effect that will be evaluated is a biomedical outcome. The study sample will be comprised of individuals with psychosis, including 1) schizophrenia, 2) schizoaffective disorder and 3) psychotic bipolar I disorder. The investigators plan to initially screen and recruit n=524 (from both the existing B-SNIP library and newly-identified psychosis cases, ~50% each) in order to enroll n=320 (B1 and B2) into the RCT. Read Less

The study team will conduct a Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of two approaches for quitting smoking among people with serious mental illness (SMI). The study will compare a novel app tailored to people with SMI, Quit on the Go, to a standard of care smoking cessation intervention. We will test the effectiveness of the Quit on the Go app, an intervention that has demonstrated feasibility and acceptability in the target population, as a tool for smoking cessation in people with SMI. Participants with SMI will be recruited across 3 sites (Duke University, Univ. at Buffalo, and Wake Forest University). Read Less

The proposed project is based on the observation that schizophrenia is characterized by a chronic pro-inflammatory state, which contributes to the severity of a number of the clinical manifestations of the illness, including cognitive impairments, the treatment of which represents a critically important unmet therapeutic need. Read Less

In this study, the investigators will examine whether a type of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation called accelerated intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) can augment neurocognition in individuals who receive treatment with clozapine. Following a baseline evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), participants will undergo a session of iTBS +MRI and session of sham delivery + MRI. The order for these sessions will be blinded and randomized. The investigators predict that accelerated iTBS will enhance neurocognition relative to sham delivery. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to examine state representation in individuals aged 15-45 who have been diagnosed with a psychotic illness, as well as young adults who do not have a psychiatric diagnosis. State Representation is our ability to process information about our surroundings. The investigators will complete some observational tests as well as a cognitive training clinical trial. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to examine state representation in individuals aged 15-45 who have been diagnosed with a psychotic illness, as well as young adults who do not have a psychiatric diagnosis. State Representation is our ability to process information about our surroundings. The investigators will complete a clinical trial examining two paradigms of cognitive training. Read Less