Cognitive Remediation for First Episode of Psychosis Patients
Condition: Psychosis
MeSH terms: Psychotic Disorders; Mental Disorders
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study aims to look at the effectiveness of a combination of cognitive remediation and
      social cognition training to improve cognition and functioning when compared to cognitive
      remediation alone. The target population will be those who are experiencing their first
      episode of psychosis.
    

Detailed description: 
      A first episode of psychosis is defined as the first experience of positive symptoms, such as
      hallucinations and delusions, and the behaviour that accompanies it. This is associated with
      problems in many areas of cognition; the ability to acquire knowledge and understanding.
      These cognitive symptoms have been found to have a large impact on daily functioning (e.g.
      accessing education or employment and maintaining relationships) and cannot effectively be
      treated with medication. Cognitive remediation (CR) is a therapy that aims to improve
      cognition and, through generalisation of this, improve daily functioning and quality of life.
      Although it is an area of deficit, social cognition, the ability to perceive and understand
      emotional states, is often not targeted in cognitive remediation. However, interventions
      which have focused on providing social cognition training (SCT) alongside CR have shown large
      improvements in daily functioning.

      This study aims to look at the effectiveness of a combination of CR and SCT to improve
      cognition and functioning when compared to CR alone. The target population will be those who
      are experiencing their first episode of psychosis. Participants will be recruited from an
      Early Intervention in Psychosis service which is an NHS service set up to provide rapid
      treatment for those experiencing psychosis.

      Participants will take part in a ten week CR or CR+SCT intervention which will consist of
      spending 90 minutes a week in a small group setting working through a series of computer
      games which aim to improve cognition. Interviews and questionnaires regarding daily
      functioning, cognition, quality of life and symptoms will be used before and after the
      intervention. Participants will be asked to attend follow-up interviews 6 months after the
      intervention has ended to complete the measures again to see if any beneficial effects have
      lasted.
    

Intervention name(s): Cognitive remediation; Social cognition training
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): CIRCuiTS is a computerised cognitive remediation program which consists of tasks to improve cognition, the use of strategy training and the teaching of generalisable community functioning skills.; The social cognition training is a computerised program which aims to improve emotion recognition through a variety of lessons and games.
Other intervention name(s): CIRCuiTS; cognitive training; Mind reading - an interactive guide to emotions
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Care Provider)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Cognitive remediation; Social cognition training; First episode psychosis; Schizophrenia