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RECRUITINGINTERVENTIONAL

Enhancing Prefrontal Oscillations and Working Memory in Early-course Schizophrenia

Enhancing Prefrontal Oscillatory Activity and Working Memory Performance With Noninvasive Brain Stimulation in Early-course Schizophrenia

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

This study will investigate the effects of intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) on natural oscillatory frequency of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and working memory in early-course schizophrenia (EC-SCZ). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will be used to evoke oscillatory activity, and EEG will record the responses of EC-SCZ participants. A working memory task will also be incorporated in order to determine how DLPFC natural frequency (NF) is related to working memory performance. iTBS (active or sham) will be administered, then the oscillatory activity of DLPFC and working memory performance will be reassessed. The overarching goal is to determine whether iTBS can acutely enhance the oscillatory activity of the DLPFC and to evaluate the relationship between changes in the DLPFC and working memory performance.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: 1. ages 18-40 years 2. DSM diagnoses of Schizophrenia Spectrum Axis I disorders 3. a duration of less than three years from beginning of psychosis, defined by report of symptoms and/or history of treatment, based on clinical guidelines employed in our UPMC psychoses clinics in Pittsburgh. Who Should NOT Join This Trial: 1. DSM intellectual developmental disorder 2. significant head injury 3. medical illness affecting brain structure or function 4. significant neurologic disorder (e.g. seizure disorder) 5. personal history or family history of epilepsy 6. inability to provide willing to sign a consent form 7. concussion with loss of consciousness (LOC) greater than 10 minutes 8. history of electroconvulsive therapy 9. diabetes with associated seizures, loss of sensation/weakness in arms or legs, or momentary LOC 10. pregnancy or postpartum (\<6 weeks after delivery or miscarriage), as determined by self-report 11. a psychotic illness with a temporal relation to substance use or head injury. 12. current or past co-morbidity for alcohol or psychoactive substance dependence 13. substance abuse, other than cannabis and/or alcohol, within the past one year Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: 1. ages 18-40 years 2. DSM diagnoses of Schizophrenia Spectrum Axis I disorders 3. a duration of less than three years from beginning of psychosis, defined by report of symptoms and/or history of treatment, based on clinical guidelines employed in our UPMC psychoses clinics in Pittsburgh. Exclusion Criteria: 1. DSM intellectual developmental disorder 2. significant head injury 3. medical illness affecting brain structure or function 4. significant neurologic disorder (e.g. seizure disorder) 5. personal history or family history of epilepsy 6. inability to provide informed consent 7. concussion with loss of consciousness (LOC) greater than 10 minutes 8. history of electroconvulsive therapy 9. diabetes with associated seizures, loss of sensation/weakness in arms or legs, or momentary LOC 10. pregnancy or postpartum (\<6 weeks after delivery or miscarriage), as determined by self-report 11. a psychotic illness with a temporal relation to substance use or head injury. 12. current or past co-morbidity for alcohol or psychoactive substance dependence 13. substance abuse, other than cannabis and/or alcohol, within the past one year

Treatments Being Tested

DEVICE

active intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS)

iTBS is a brief stimulation of a part of the brain with a magnetic field that passes through the scalp and skull safely. It is FDA-approved as a treatment for psychological conditions including depression; however, this device is not approved for the treatment of adults with patients with schizophrenia. This research study is using iTBS off label in SCZ patients to examine research questions.

DEVICE

sham intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS)

Sham TBS over the left DLPFC will be performed using a Cool-B65 A/P TMS coil, designed to support blinded clinical trials. Specifically, when the coil is placed in the "P" position (i.e. the "placebo" position), only a very small amount of current is induced in tissue, thus preventing the activation of cortical neurons.

Locations (1)

University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States