Changes in Brain Synchronization During Perceptual and Linguistic Tasks in Schizophrenic Patients

This study aims to identify electrophysiological correlates of impaired perceptual and linguistic processes in chronic schizophrenic patients, un-medicated first-episode schizophrenic patients and their healthy relatives.

Following administrating some questionnaires (demographic details and psychiatric history questionnaire, handedness questionnaire, reading abilities test and positive and negative symptoms questionnaire) and performing a perception test and a verbal abstract intelligence test, participants will conduct a brain scan during a series of perceptual and linguistic tasks.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Schizophrenic Patients
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Magnetoencephalograph (MEG)

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 150

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Maor Zeev-Wolf, M.A.; Phone Number: 972-50-7737032; Email: maorwolf@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Israel
  • Hod-Hasharon, Israel
    • Shalvata MHC
    • Contact: Maor Zeev-Wolf, M.A.; Phone Number: 972-50-7737032; Email: maorwolf@gmail.com
    • Sub-Investigator: Maor Zeev-Wolf, M.A.

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

1. Chronic patients - Up to 30 chronic schizophrenic patients.
2. Naive patients - Up to 30 unmedicated first episode schizophrenic patients.
3. Patients' relatives - Up to 60 family members (parents or siblings) of the participants - control group 1.
4. Students - Up to 30 students from Bar-Ilan University - control group 2.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Inclusion criteria for chronic patients:

• Hebrew native speakers.
• Diagnosis of schizophrenia with a history of more than one episode.
• Capable and willing to provide informed consent.

Inclusion criteria for naive patients:

• Hebrew native speakers.
• Diagnosis of schizophrenia with a history of only one episode and unmedicated.
• Capable and willing to provide informed consent.

Inclusion criteria for patients' relatives (control group 1):

• Hebrew native speakers.
• Without any psychiatric history.
• Have a child and/or a sibling with schizophrenia.

Inclusion Criteria for students (control group 2):

• Hebrew native speakers.
• Without any psychiatric history.

Exclusion Criteria:

Exclusion Criteria for patient groups (chronic and "naïve"):

• Left handedness.
• Reading disability.
• Visual perception disability.
• Brain damage and/or a history of seizures.
• Impaired intelligence.
• Metal implants.

Exclusion Criteria for control groups (family members and students):

• Psychiatric history.
• Left handedness.
• Reading disability.
• Visual perception disability.
• Brain damage and/or a history of seizures.
• Impaired intelligence.
• Metal implants.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

4

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Students; Healthy students from Bar-Ilan University	Device: Magnetoencephalograph (MEG); Conducting a brain scan during a series of perceptual and linguistic tasks
Schizophrenic patients' relatives; Healthy family members (parents or siblings) of the schizophrenic participants (chronic and naive)	Device: Magnetoencephalograph (MEG); Conducting a brain scan during a series of perceptual and linguistic tasks
Naive schizophrenic patients; Naive patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, a history of only one psychotic episode and un-medicated	Device: Magnetoencephalograph (MEG); Conducting a brain scan during a series of perceptual and linguistic tasks
Chronic schizophrenia patients; Chronic patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and a history of more than one psychotic episode	Device: Magnetoencephalograph (MEG); Conducting a brain scan during a series of perceptual and linguistic tasks

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Magnetic field amplitude and source	45 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Shalvata Mental Health Center
• Collaborators: Bar-Ilan University, Israel
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Hilik Levkovitz, Professor, Shalvata MHC

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): March 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 7, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 7, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): March 9, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): March 9, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 7, 2012
• Last Verified: March 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: SHA-0001-12