Schizoaffective Disorder Clinical Trials

The participants in the study will receive psychiatric treatment at the UCLA Aftercare Research Program. All participants in this 12-month RCT will receive cognitive training. Half of the patients will also be randomly assigned to the aerobic exercise and strength training condition, and the other half will be randomly assigned to the Healthy Living Group condition. The primary outcome measures are improvement in cognition and level of engagement in the in-group and at-home exercise sessions. Increases in the level of the patient's serum brain-derived neurotropic factor (specifically Mature BDNF) which causes greater brain neuroplasticity and is indicator of engagement in aerobic exercise, will be measured early in the treatment phase in order to confirm engagement of this target. In order to demonstrate the feasibility and portability of this intervention outside of academic research programs, the interventions will be provided via videoconferencing. The proposed study will incorporate additional methods to maximize participation in the exercise condition, including the use of the Moderated Online Social Therapy (MOST) platform to enhance motivation for treatment based on Self-Determination Theory principles, and a "bridging" group to help the participants generalize gains to everyday functioning. In addition, the exercise group participants will receive personally tailored text reminders to exercise. Read Less

The investigators propose to examine the effects of CSC services delivered via TH (CSC-TH) versus the standard clinic-based CSC model (CSC-SD) on engagement and outcomes in a 12-month, randomized trial. Read Less

Peripheral inflammation and microvascular dysfunction are central to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SZ). Retinal imaging allows for the accurate quantitative assessment of the condition of retinal microvessels, and early studies implicate microvascular dysfunction in SZ, but the specific pathophysiological mechanisms underlying greater length, density, capillary network and diameter are not yet entirely understood. Anti-inflammatory drug trials in SZ suggest that Early Course Schizophrenia (ECS) individuals with elevated peripheral inflammation show the greatest benefit to adjunctive anti inflammatory treatments. Also, there is a growing interest in the use of Sodium Nitroprusside (SNP) in SZ but further studies are needed as results are inconsistent. This study will determine the effectiveness of SNP on psychosis symptoms, cognition, and retinal measures in symptomatic ECS. Read Less

The purpose of this study is to determine if taking a synbiotic supplement versus a placebo will reduce symptoms of schizophrenia when used in addition to standard antipsychotic medications. Read Less

The goals of this study are to replicate previous findings of genetic predictors of response to clozapine and other antipsychotic drugs. Read Less

To test the feasibility of studying effects of smoking cessation with varenicline on antipsychotic drug-induced neurological side effects, we propose a 12 week pilot study of smoking cessation treatment with varenicline in 10 schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder patients who are actively smoking and have pre-existing TD while receiving stable doses of antipsychotics. Subjects will be followed after a 2 week baseline period to assess changes in smoking status and neurological symptoms using standardized rating scales. The aim is to examine clinically significant effects on antipsychotic-induced neurological side effects that may warrant further investigation. Read Less