Berberine Improving Cognitive Impairments in Schizophrenia

June 28, 2026 updated by: Tianjin Anding Hospital

Study on the Mechanism s of Berberine Improving Cognitive Impairments in Schizophrenia Based on Gut-brain Axis

This study is a 12-week, randomized, blank-controlled, assessor-blinded trial. Eligible patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either berberine hydrochloride or blank control as an add on to their stable antipsychotic regimen for 12 weeks. Randomization was performed using a computer-generated random number table, and allocation was concealed using sequentially numbered, opaque, sealed envelopes. The trial included four visits: baseline (visit 1), week 4 (visit 2), week 8 (visit 3) and week 12 (visit 4). Patients in the berberine group received berberine hydrochloride tablets (100 mg/tablet), three tablets three times daily. The control group received no intervention (blank control) and continued their usual care.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Psychiatric symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS); cognitive symptoms were evaluated using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB); depressive symptoms were assessed using the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-24); and anxiety symptoms were evaluated using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA). All assessments were administered by trained research personnel. The MCCB assessment was performed only at baseline and Week 12, whereas the PANSS, HAMD, and HAMA assessments were conducted at baseline, Week 4, Week 8, and Week 12. The primary outcome measure was the uncorrected T-score of the MCCB Overall Composite Score, which was derived by standardizing and summing the T-scores across seven cognitive domains: processing speed, attention/vigilance, working memory, verbal learning, visual learning, reasoning and problem solving, and social cognition. Since commercially available berberine is only formulated as yellow tablets with a marked bitter taste, which makes it difficult to prepare an indistinguishable placebo, a blank control design was adopted to maintain feasibility while ensuring the integrity of the study. We acknowledge that this open-label design may introduce potential placebo effects. Nevertheless, the cognitive assessments are less susceptible to expectancy effects, and both the raters and statisticians were blinded to group assignment to minimize bias.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
124

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • 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

  • China
      • Tianjin, China
        • Tianjin Anding Hospital

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

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • a diagnosis of SCZ according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5);
  • receiving stable doses of antipsychotic medication for at least 1 month before enrollment;
  • age between 18 and 65 years;
  • provision of written informed consent by patients and their families.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • a current diagnosis of any other DSM-5 psychiatric disorder;
  • presence of severe physical illness;
  • receipt of physical treatments such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation or modified electroconvulsive therapy within one month prior to enrollment;
  • hemolytic anemia or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency;
  • pregnant and lactating women;
  • any factor that would interfere with the participant's ability to provide informed consent or complete the study.

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: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: control group
Experimental: berberine group
Drug: Berberine
Patients in the berberine group received berberine hydrochloride tablets (100 mg/tablet), three tablets three times daily.
Other Names:
  • stable antipsychotic

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in the MCCB Overall Composite Score
Time Frame: changes within 0, 12weeks
MCCB is a standardized measurement tool for assessing cognitive function in schizophrenia. There are 9 subtests, which mainly assess 7 cognitive domains, including information processing speed, attention/alertness, Working memory, word learning, visual memory, reasoning and problem solving, and social cognition. After the evaluation is completed, the MCCB rough score is converted into the total score T score obtained after correction for age, gender, years of education, and untreated period. The T score is then converted into a defect score, with T scores ≥ 40, 35-39, 30-34, 25-29, 20-24, and ≤ 19 corresponding to defect scores 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. Among them, 1 represents mild defects, 2 represents mild to moderate defects, 3 represents moderate defects, 4 represents moderate to severe defects, and 5 represents severe defects. In this study, a defect score of ≥ 3 was used as the boundary for significant cognitive impairment.
changes within 0, 12weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes of CRP
Time Frame: changes within 0, 4, 8, 12weeks
The concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) is measured in venous blood. CRP is an acute-phase reactant protein synthesized by the liver, primarily functioning to recognize and clear pathogens or damaged cells. It plays a crucial role in inflammatory responses, infection surveillance, and disease monitoring.
changes within 0, 4, 8, 12weeks
Changes of Fecal Macrogene Sequencing(FMS)
Time Frame: changes within 0, 12weeks
Total genomic DNA was extracted from patient fecal samples and subjected to quality control. Qualified DNA was then randomly fragmented to approximately 350 bp using a Covaris ultrasonic disruptor to generate libraries, which were quantified by Qubit and qPCR. Following library QC, pooled libraries were sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq platform (PE150). Raw sequencing data underwent quality control, followed by assembly and gene prediction to construct a non-redundant gene set. Genes were then annotated for taxonomic and functional classification and abundance statistics were computed. Statistical analyses, including similarity clustering, group ordination, and differential comparisons, were performed on samples and sample groups.
changes within 0, 12weeks
Change from baseline in scores on the remaining MCCB domains
Time Frame: changes within 0, 12weeks
MCCB is a standardized measurement tool for assessing cognitive function in schizophrenia. There are 9 subtests, which mainly assess 7 cognitive domains, including information processing speed, attention/alertness, Working memory, word learning, visual memory, reasoning and problem solving, and social cognition. After the evaluation is completed, the MCCB rough score is converted into the total score T score obtained after correction for age, gender, years of education, and untreated period.
changes within 0, 12weeks
Psychiatric Symptoms
Time Frame: changes within 0, 4, 8,12weeks
The psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenia were assessed in all enrolled patients using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The PANSS is a 30-item clinician-rated scale yielding a total score ranging from 30 (least symptomatic) to 210 (symptomatic), where higher scores indicate more severe psychopathology.
changes within 0, 4, 8,12weeks
Depressive Symptoms
Time Frame: changes within 0, 4, 8,12weeks
The Hamilton Depression Scale-24 (HAMD-24) was used to assess the severity of depressive symptoms. Each item was scored on a scale of 0 (none) to 4 (severe); the total score ranged from 0 to 76, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms.
changes within 0, 4, 8,12weeks
Anxiety Symptoms
Time Frame: changes within 0, 4, 8, 12weeks
The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) is used to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms. Each item is scored on a scale of 0 (none) to 4 (very severe), with a total score range of 0-56. Higher scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms.
changes within 0, 4, 8, 12weeks
Changes in plasma levels of short-chain fatty acids.
Time Frame: changes within 0, 12weeks
Week 12 changes in plasma short-chain fatty acid levels from baseline.
changes within 0, 12weeks
Changes in plasma bile acid levels
Time Frame: changes within 0, 12weeks
Week 12 changes in plasma bile acid from baseline.
changes within 0, 12weeks
Changes in plasma tryptophan levels
Time Frame: changes within 0, 12weeks
Week 12 changes in plasma tryptophan from baseline.
changes within 0, 12weeks
Changes in glycolipid levels
Time Frame: Baseline, week 4, week 8 and week 12
Glucose and lipid levels were measured at Weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12.
Baseline, week 4, week 8 and week 12
Weight changes
Time Frame: Baseline, week4, week8, week12
Weight was measured at Weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12.
Baseline, week4, week8, week12

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Tianjin Anding Hospital

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 (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 21, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 30, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 23, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 22, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 30, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 28, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • BBR-SCH-2023

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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