White Matter Plasticity in Schizophrenia

February 18, 2026 updated by: University of Maryland, Baltimore
Schizophrenia spectrum disorders are associated with impairment in the microstructure of white matter, the key brain tissue responsible for fast communication between different brain regions necessary for any complex task. This white matter impairment is linked to problems with cognition in schizophrenia, especially slower processing speed. This project aims to study the potential for correcting white matter deficits in schizophrenia by examining mechanisms underlying white matter structure changes in response to training on playing a mock musical instrument.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

36

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 Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Maryland
      • Catonsville, Maryland, United States, 21228
        • Recruiting
        • Maryland Psychiatric Research Center
        • Contact:
      • Catonsville, Maryland, United States, 21228
        • Not yet recruiting
        • University of Maryland Baltimore - Maryland Psychiatric Research Center
        • Contact:

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

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, or psychosis NOS
  • age 15-45
  • able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • contraindications to MRI (metal implants, claustrophobia)
  • medical condition that limits use of hands (ie, arthritis)
  • Active or recent (within 6 months) substance use disorder other than nicotine

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Active training
Training sessions involving playing the video game 'Guitar Hero'
Behavioral: Music video game
The video game 'Guitar Hero' will be used as the platform for training for participants to acquire a new 'skill'
Placebo Comparator: Observation training
Behavioral: Music video game
The video game 'Guitar Hero' will be used as the platform for training for participants to acquire a new 'skill'

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
White matter microstructure
Time Frame: 3 weeks
fractional anisotropy of white matter tracts as assessed with diffusion tensor imaging
3 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Brain level of N-acetylaspartate
Time Frame: 3 weeks
NAA levels in motor cortex of brain as measured with magnetic resonance spectroscopy
3 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Maryland, Baltimore

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)

January 2, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 11, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 11, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

October 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 18, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HP-00081020

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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