Proposal To Develop A Rapid And Cost-Effective Diagnostic Test For Schizophrenia (NCT03781115)
🩺 Plain-English Summary (8th-Grade Level)
Schizophrenia is a severe psychotic illness of unknown cause that affects 1% of the population worldwide. Currently, there is no diagnostic test for schizophrenia. Instead, the diagnosis is typically established through a psychiatric interview of the patient, who is evaluated against a set of established criteria of signs and symptoms. It can take many months to years to establish a diagnosis of schizophrenia and achieve an appropriate treatment regimen to attain resolution of the patient's symptoms. This process is particularly challenging in areas of limited access to specialists a problem not only in third world countries and rural regions, but throughout the United States where there can be long waits to obtain an appointment with a psychiatrist. The present research experiment investigates a potential novel method for diagnosing schizophrenia. The overall objective of the study is to test the hypothesis that patients with schizophrenia will have a heightened tolerance to the sedating effects of anti-psychotic medications, which will be reflected in differences in their electroencephalogram (EEG) when compared to healthy normal controls. The investigators expect that the schizophrenia patients will score on the "more alert" and "less sleepy" ends of these scales, and that the normal control subjects will show the opposite response. A patient that fails to become sedated or experience the sleepiness side effects, typically caused by the anti-psychotic medication, may support the existing diagnosis of schizophrenia. Measures of the subjects' level of sedation that are found to correlate significantly with EEG response and diagnosis will be used to create a diagnostic test. This simple and inexpensive test will consist of a single dosage of anti-psychotic medication, and a rapid assessment tool with scores that have a high degree of predictive validity for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Who can join: Review the eligibility criteria below.
Location: Banner University Medical Center — Phoenix, Arizona
Age range: 18 Years to 40 Years
🧪 Interventions in This Study
📋 "Do I Qualify?" — 1-Minute Self Screener
Instant ChecklistFull eligibility criteria are available on the official NIH protocol. View the criteria ↗
📍 All Participating Trial Locations (1 Sites)
- Banner University Medical Center — Phoenix, Arizona
💰 Cost, Insurance & Patient Rights
- 100% Free Items: The investigational treatment and protocol-required procedures are supplied at zero cost by the sponsor.
- Routine Patient Care: Under federal law (ACA § 2709) and many state statutes, routine care costs are covered during participation.
- Voluntary Participation: You may withdraw at any time without affecting your standard medical care.
More studies in Schizophrenia
- Young Adults With Violent Behavior During Early Psychosis (Aim 2) — New York, New York
- Does tDCS Change Synaptic Density in the Brains of Patients With Schizophrenia — Toronto, Ontario
- Ketogenic Diet in People With Schizophrenia — Catonsville, Maryland
- Paired Associative Stimulation in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Patients With Schizophrenia — Toronto, Ontario
- Investigating the Muscarinic System in Schizophrenia Using Positron Emission Tomography — Toronto, Ontario
- Long-Term Real-World Safety of Cobenfy in Adults With Schizophrenia — Suwanee, Georgia
Explore by condition: All Schizophrenia clinical trials
💡 How to Participate
- Check the checklist above to see if you may qualify.
- Review the official NIH record below to find the coordinating site.
- Ask about the visit schedule, what is covered at no cost, and any travel support.
- Confirm with your own doctor before making a decision.