Conditions: Schizophrenia
Keywords: Schizophrenia Negative Symptoms Folate
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 46
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This study aims to examine factors potentially contributing to differences in blood folate, homocysteine or B12 levels between schizophrenia patients, to test the hypothesis that low folate is associated with negative symptoms, and to examine the efficacy of folate supplementation for reducing negative symptoms.

Detailed description:
This study is a three-month, placebo-controlled trial of folate 2mg/d in 50 schizophrenia patients who score at least a 3 (moderate or greater severity) on at least one of the SANS global assessment subscales, with the exception of the attention global assessment subscale. The specific aims of this study are:

* To examine factors potentially contributing to differences in blood folate, homocysteine or B12 levels between patients at baseline, including dietary intake and cigarette smoking.
* To test the hypothesis that low folate is associated with negative symptoms by examining correlations between red blood cell folate concentrations and clinical ratings of negative symptoms and by comparing folate concentrations in deficit syndrome versus non-deficit syndrome patients. We will also control for dietary intake cigarettes smoking, gender, and age.
* To examine the efficacy of folate supplementation for reducing negative symptoms

Arms:
arm 1: Participants will receive a 2 mg/ day dose of folate, for 12 weeks arm 2: Participants will receive a 2 mg/ day dose of placebo, for 12 weeks

Interventions: intervention 1: Folate intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Folic acid taken as 2, 1mg capsule daily for 12 weeks intervention 2: Placebo taken as 2, 1mg capsule daily for 12 weeks

Protocol document: