Clinical trial NCT02341131: Cognitive Remediation Therapy in Schizophrenia: Effects on BDNF Levels
Official title: BDNF as a Potential Biomarker for Cognitive Remediation Therapy in Schizophrenia
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Schizophrenia
Keywords: Schizophrenia
Cognitive Remediation
BDNF
Lead sponsor: Hospital Clinic of Barcelona
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of Barcelona
First posted: 2015-01-19
Enrollment: 70
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The main objective of the study is to analyse the role of a neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a putative biological marker of the cognitive recovery in schizophrenia following a Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT). Additionally, the role as outcome predictors of BDNF serum levels and the Val66met polymorphism and data from functional and structural neuroimaging will be studied.

Detailed description: Forty patients with schizophrenia disorder and twenty healthy volunteers will be recruited. Patients will be randomly allocated either the experimental group, undergoing an individual CRT for 40 hours during 16 weeks, or the control group following a psycho-educational intervention without any neurocognitive work, both lasting the same amount of hours and period of time. Blood samples will be obtained from participants in four moments: before treatment, at week 4, at week 16, and at 32 week follow-up. In addition, repeated measurements will be obtained with a neurocognitive battery based on the MATRICS consensus battery and the Positive And Negative Syndromes Scale (PANSS). Assessments will be conducted by trained personnel who will remain blind to the group assignment. A factorial model will be performed conducting a repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to study the effects of CRT on the levels of BDNF, neurocognition, symptoms and social functioning, adding the necessary co-variants. Finally, a linear regression model to determine the predictive role of serum levels of BDNF and data from functional and structural neuroimaging on the effects of CRT will be performed.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-IV-TR and confirmed by the semi-structured interview (SCID) for the axis 1.
* Presence of cognitive deficit confirmed by the neuropsychological battery
* Stable symptomatology at least during the last six months and the estimation of not modifying pharmacological antipsychotic treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Presence of organic-cerebral affectation due to neurological or traumatic conditions
* Abuse of psychotropic substances
* Presence of other psychiatric symptomatology

Primary outcomes:
measure: BDNF (change from baseline serum BDNF levels)
timeFrame: Baseline, 1 month and 4 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Symptoms (Change from baseline in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores)
timeFrame: Baseline and 4 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Barcelona
country: Spain
facility: Hospital Clínic Barcelona
Study officials:
affiliation: Hospital Clinic of Barcelona
name: Rafael Penadés, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Penades R, Segura B, Inguanzo A, Garcia-Rizo C, Catalan R, Masana G, Bernardo M, Junque C. Cognitive remediation and brain connectivity: A resting-state fMRI study in patients with schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2020 Sep 30;303:111140. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111140. Epub 2020 Jul 15.