Clinical trial NCT00507988: Complex Problem Solving Training in Schizophrenic Patients
Official title: Complex Problem Solving Training in Schizophrenic Patients
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Schizophrenia
Schizoaffective Disorder
Keywords: Cognitive Training
Complex Problem Solving
Goal Management
Planning
Lead sponsor: Heidelberg University
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
First posted: 2007-07-27
Enrollment: 91
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 45
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The primary purpose of the study is to assess whether a planning and problem-solving training is more effective in improving work therapy performance in patients with schizophrenia than traditional training programs addressing basic cognitive functions.

Detailed description: In patients with schizophrenia, cognitive deficits often lead to an impairment in daily life. This observation has led to the development of cognitive training packages aiming a improving these deficits. However, it is far from clear which level of cognitive functioning provides the best target for cognitive interventions. Traditionally, training has aimed a basic cognitive functions like attention and memory. In the present study we aim at a higher-level of function, namely planning and problem-solving skills, which are trained using the software package Plan-A-Day. The primary hypothesis is that complex problem solving training improved functional capacity more than traditional training programs addressing basic cognitive function.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients with schizophrenic or schizoaffective Disorder (DSM IV)
* Remitted positive symptoms (PANSS positive all ≤ 4), clinical stability
* Native German speaker
* Verbal IQ \> 80
* Visual acuity normal or corrected to normal

Exclusion Criteria:

* Concurrent Axis-I disorder
* Drug abuse during last 2 months
* Neurological or medical conditions potentially affecting cognition

Primary outcomes:
measure: Functional Capacity as assessed by Osnabrücker Arbeitsfähigkeitsprofil "learning ability" subscale
timeFrame: 3 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Functional Capacity as assessed by the Osnabrücker-Arbeitsfähigkeitsprofil summary score
timeFrame: 3 weeks
measure: BADS Zoo Map Score (Neuropsychological Test)
timeFrame: 3 weeks
measure: Planungstest (Tower of London) Summary Score (Neuropsychological Test)
timeFrame: 3 weeks
measure: Plan-A-Day S Solution Time (Neuropsychological Test)
timeFrame: 3 weeks
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Karlsbad
country: Germany
facility: SRH Klinikum Karlsbad-Langensteinbach
Study officials:
affiliation: SRH Klinikum Karlsbad-Langensteinbach, Department of Psychiatry
name: Matthias Weisbrod, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Rodewald K, Rentrop M, Holt DV, Roesch-Ely D, Backenstrass M, Funke J, Weisbrod M, Kaiser S. Planning and problem-solving training for patients with schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2011 Apr 28;11:73. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-11-73.