Cerebellar Modulation of Cognition in Psychosis
Mclean Hospital
Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about cognition in psychotic disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective disorder). The main question it aims to answer is: Can we use magnetic stimulation to change processing speed (how quickly people can solve challenging tasks). Participants will be asked to perform cognitive tasks (problem-solving) and undergo brain scans before and after transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS is a way to non-invasively change brain activity. Forms of TMS are FDA-approved to treat depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. In this study, we will use a different form of TMS to temporarily change brain activity to observe how that changes speed in problem-solving.
Description
Psychotic disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and related illnesses are severe, debilitating, and often fatal. Cognitive impairments in psychosis are among the leading predictors of disability and poor quality of life; despite this, there are no first-line interventions to target these symptoms. This trial will test the hypothesis that cognitive performance in these disorders is modifiable and specifically that it can be modified non-invasively. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a neuromodulation technique that utilizes magnets to alter brain activity non-invasively.…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–55 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Age between 18-55 years * Diagnosis of a psychotic disorder (i.e. schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder type I) * Must be able to read, speak and understand English * Must be judged by study staff to be capable of completing the study procedures * Participants will be in stable outpatient treatment with no recent (within the past 30 days) hospitalizations or changes in their medication regimens. Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 diagnosis of moderate substance use disorder within the past month * Conditions that might res…
Interventions
- Deviceintermittant theta burst stimulation (iTBS)
iTBS consists of 2 s trains of 3 pulses at 50 Hz, repeated at 5 Hz, every 10s for a total of 600 pulses.
- Devicecontinuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS)
cTBS consists of 3 pulses at 50 Hz repeated at 5 Hz (every 200ms) continuously for a total of 600 pulses
- Devicesham rTMS
sham rTMS does not deliver a significant change in magnetic field strength
Locations (2)
- McLean HospitalBelmont, Massachusetts
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterBoston, Massachusetts