Personalized and Scalable Cognitive Remediation Approaches

September 11, 2020 updated by: Alice Medalia, New York State Psychiatric Institute
The purpose of this study is to develop and pilot test personalized and scalable approaches to Cognitive Remediation (CR) for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. The intent is to more clearly define the therapeutic targets important to the facilitation of cognitive and functional improvement so that clinicians know how to customize cognitive interventions and deliver treatment in a more effective, efficient and personally relevant manner.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

There are three phases of this study.

Phase 1: Development and Adaptation. The goal of this phase is to adapt currently used computer based CR approaches to make them more personalized and scalable. We will create two CR interventions which differ in choice and pacing of the cognitive exercises. This phase is complete.

Phase 2: Open Trial and Intervention Refinement. The goal of this phase is to obtain quantitative and qualitative feedback on the acceptability and usability of the interventions from participants to inform further refinement of the assessment and treatment packages. We will recruit ten subjects from an outpatient psychiatric rehabilitation program in New York City. After determining study eligibility, individuals will complete a standardized neuropsychological battery for schizophrenia assessment, and a 5-minute Tone Matching Test to assess basic auditory processing. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of two intervention packages, developed in Phase 1. Each session includes 60 minutes of computer-based learning activities and a 15 minute therapist-led discussion that links the computer activities to cognition as applied to daily tasks and recovery goals. Participants will complete a total of 10 sessions attending 2-3 times weekly for 5 weeks. During each session, participants will be asked to keep a log of software used. At the conclusion of this abbreviated trial, the participants will participate in focus groups in which they will be asked to provide verbal feedback on how enjoyable, engaging, and useful they perceived the computer and discussion based exercises to be. Participants will be asked to provide verbal feedback on the assessment procedures. CR clinicians will join the research team to discuss participants' engagement and their experience with administering the Tone Matching Test and interventions. Qualitative data summarized from participant logs and focus groups will be considered by the research team to refine the assessment battery, treatment parameters, and rubric of learning exercises. This phase is complete.

Phase 3: Pilot Feasibility Trial. People with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder may be referred by their treating clinician or may respond to posted advertisements to inquire about study participation. After being informed of study procedures, interested individuals will be asked to sign a consent form that documents willingness to participate in this study. Following informed consent, participants will be asked questions about demographic characteristics (e.g. age, education, employment), medication and psychosocial treatment status, psychiatric symptoms and symptoms severity, and will complete a brief assessment of estimated Intelligence. Those with an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) estimate below 70 or meeting substance dependence criteria at the time of evaluation will be exited from the study. In the same or second assessment session, participants will complete assessments of neuropsychological ability, current functioning, and motivation for treatment. Participants will then be randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions named "Brain Basics" or "Brain Exercises".

Each treatment condition is structured in a group format of up to 5 participants. Both treatments use commercially available computer-based training software to exercise cognitive skills such as speed of processing, attention, working memory, and verbal memory. Both conditions will entail 50 minutes on the computer and 10 minutes group discussion. In the discussion, participants review the cognitive activities they are working on and how they will help them achieve their recovery goals. The treatment phase will consist of 30 separate sessions each 60 minutes in duration, administered 3 times a week over the course of a 10-week period. Participants will be re-tested on outcome measures approximately 1 week following end of treatment, and again 3 months later.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

122

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • New York
      • Bronx, New York, United States, 10467
        • FEGS Bronx Mental Health Clinic
      • Brooklyn, New York, United States, 11206
        • Williamsburg Clinic
      • Brooklyn, New York, United States, 11207
        • Institute for Community Living
      • New York, New York, United States, 10032
        • Nyspi/ Cumc
      • New York, New York, United States, 10040
        • The Bridge Inc

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder
  2. Age 18 to 65
  3. English speaking
  4. Psychiatrically stable, verified by current living/treatment status

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Indication of mental retardation, determined by estimated IQ of less than 70
  2. Hearing or visual impairment that precludes completing assessments
  3. Neurologic illness that may affect brain physiology (e.g. Parkinson's, seizure disorder, epilepsy)
  4. Current substance dependence symptoms in the past 6 weeks
  5. Participation in cognitive remediation in the 12 months prior to study entry.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Brain Basics for Impaired Tone Matchers
Cognitive remediation includes sensory processing training
Cognitive remediation sessions include working on computer based cognitive exercises and participating in a verbal discussion.
Active Comparator: Brain Basics for Intact Tone Matchers
Cognitive remediation includes sensory processing training
Cognitive remediation sessions include working on computer based cognitive exercises and participating in a verbal discussion.
Active Comparator: Brain Training for Impaired Tone Matcher
Cognitive remediation does not include sensory processing training
Cognitive remediation sessions include working on computer based cognitive exercises and participating in a verbal discussion.
Active Comparator: Brain Training for Intact Tone Matchers
Cognitive remediation does not include sensory processing training
Cognitive remediation sessions include working on computer based cognitive exercises and participating in a verbal discussion.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility
Time Frame: Two years
Feasibility of conducting a larger trial will be measured by recruitment, feasibility of enrollment, stratification, blinding and assessment, acceptability of randomization, retention of subjects
Two years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in neurocognition from baseline to treatment end-point
Time Frame: 10 weeks
Change in neurocognition will be measured with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, including measures of: a) working memory; b) attention/vigilance; c) verbal learning; d) visual learning; e) processing speed; f) reasoning and problem solving.
10 weeks
Change in neurocognition from baseline to 3-month follow-up
Time Frame: 5.5 to 6 months
Change in neurocognition will be measured with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (see above).
5.5 to 6 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Tone Matching Ability - Treatment end-point
Time Frame: 10 weeks
Tone matching (percent correct) will be assessed at baseline and at treatment end-point, using pairs of 100-ms tones in series, with 500-ms inter-tone interval.
10 weeks
UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA)-Brief - treatment end-point
Time Frame: 10 weeks
The UPSA - Brief is a proxy measure of daily functioning skills. Change from baseline to treatment end-point will be assessed.
10 weeks
Structured Clinical Interview for the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (SCI-PANSS) - Treatment end-point
Time Frame: 10 weeks
The SCI-PANSS is a semi-structured interview containing 30 items that assess symptoms of psychotic disorders including positive, negative and general psychopathology. Change from baseline to treatment end-point will be assessed.
10 weeks
Intrinsic Motivation Inventory for Schizophrenia Research (IMI-SR)
Time Frame: 10 weeks
Intrinsic Motivation Inventory for Schizophrenia Research (IMI-SR), a 21 item 7-point Likert type scale designed to assess a participant's subjective experience of an activity, specifically in an experimental setting (e.g. "I enjoyed doing this activity very much"). The IMI-SR will be administered at the first and last treatment sessions.
10 weeks
Perceived Competency Scale (PCS)
Time Frame: 10 weeks
The PCS consists of 4 items on a 7-point Likert-type scale that assess feelings of competency when performing computer-based learning activities, with higher scores indicating greater perceived competency. The PCS will be administered at the first and last treatment sessions.
10 weeks
Tone Matching ability - 3-month follow up
Time Frame: 5.5 to 6 months
Tone Matching (percent correct) will be assessed at baseline and 3-month follow-up, using pairs of 100-ms tones in series, with 500-ms inter-tone interval.
5.5 to 6 months
UCSD Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA)-Brief - 3-month follow-up
Time Frame: 5.5 to 6 months
The UPSA-Brief is a proxy measure for daily functioning skills. Change from baseline to 3-month follow-up will be assessed.
5.5 to 6 months
Structured Clinical Interview for the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (SCI-PANSS) - 3-month follow-up
Time Frame: 5.5 to 6 months
The SCI-PANSS is a semi-structured interview containing 30 items that assess symptoms of psychotic disorders including positive, negative and general psychopathology. Change from baseline to 3-month follow-up will be assessed.
5.5 to 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Alice Medalia, PhD, NYSPI

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 2, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

March 20, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 13, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 13, 2013

First Posted (Estimate)

September 18, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

September 16, 2020

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 11, 2020

Last Verified

September 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • #6721
  • 1R34MH100317-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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