Actively Recruiting
Restoring Spindle and Thalamocortical Efficiency in Early-Course Schizophrenia Patients Using Auditory Stimulation
Led by Fabio Ferrarelli · Updated on 2025-06-05
200
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
254 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
F
Fabio Ferrarelli
Lead Sponsor
N
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
The purpose of this research is to identify differences in brain activity during sleep between health individuals and individuals with schizophrenia, schizophreniform, or schizoaffective disorder. This study will also investigate whether tones played during deep sleep can enhance specific features of sleep and whether enhancing such features is related to an improvement in cognitive performance.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Restoring Spindle and Thalamocortical Efficiency in Early-Course Schizophrenia Patients Using Auditory Stimulation
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
Early-course schizophrenia (EC-SCZ):
- ages 18-40 years
- current DSM-IV defined diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform or schizoaffective disorder, not drug-induced, with no previously reported psychotic episode
- duration of ≤5 years from beginning of psychosis, defined by report of symptoms and/or history of treatment according to clinical guidelines employed in our University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) psychoses clinics in Pittsburgh
- lifetime exposure to antipsychotic medications ≤5 years
Healthy controls (HC):
- ages 18-40 years
- no lifetime history of psychiatric disorders
- no first-degree family history of schizophrenia spectrum disorder or mood disorder with psychotic features.
You will not qualify if you...
General exclusion criteria:
- DSM-IV intellectual disability
- significant head injury
- medical illness affecting brain function or structure
- pregnancy or postpartum (<6 weeks after delivery or miscarriage)
- significant neurological disorder (e.g. seizure disorder)
- inability to provide informed consent
- current or past co-morbidity for alcohol or psychoactive substance dependence
- substance abuse other than cannabis and/or alcohol within the past one year
For EC-SCZ:
a) a psychotic illness with a temporal relation to substance use or head injury
For healthy controls (HC):
- difficult falling and/or staying asleep for more than half the nights of a week, on average
- diagnosis of sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome
- sleeping less than 5 hours or more than 10 hours daily, on average
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
C
Chloe A Huston, MA
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
TRIPLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
CROSSOVER
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
2
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