University of Alabama at Birmingham
The purpose of this study is to learn whether a handheld, non-invasive stimulation device called gammaCore Emerald can change brain activity and thinking skills. Researchers will use MRI scans to measure changes in brain activity after stimulation and compare the results among people with schizophrenia, depression, and healthy volunteers.
The main aim of this study is to determine whether non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation (nVNS) can modulate large brain networks disrupted in schizophrenia and to understand the timing of connectivity changes caused by stimulation. The central hypothesis that nVNS will (1) reliably activate specific networks in individuals with schizophrenia, (2) partially restore connectivity patterns compared to healthy controls, and (3) produce connectivity changes linked to improvements in cognitive function.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age19-55 years old, inclusive 2. Sufficient fluency in English to understand testing procedures and provide informed consent 3. In one of these three diagnostic groups: 1. Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD), which can include the diagnoses of Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder, Unspecified Schizophrenia Spectrum, Schizophreniform Disorder, Brief Psychotic Episode, or Psychotic Disorder NOS (as defined by DSM-V and determined by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 2. Unipolar Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) of any subtype. Depressed pa…
hand-held nVNS product for SSD signaling
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