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Improving Cognition Through Telehealth Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Training After a First Schizophrenia Episode

Who can join

As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.

Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Sex
All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Not accepted
Compensation
Not stated

Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

What to expect

No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.

What participation involves

Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.

Compensation
Not stated
  • Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
  • Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
  • Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
  • Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.

About this study

In plain language

This 12-month study tests whether adding aerobic exercise and strength training to thinking-skills training improves thinking after a first episode of schizophrenia or a related illness. Everyone gets thinking-skills training and is assigned by chance to either exercise or a Healthy Living Group, with sessions held by video. It is for adults ages 18 to 45 who will receive mental health care at the UCLA Aftercare Research Program.

The participants in the study will receive psychiatric treatment at the UCLA Aftercare Research Program. All participants in this 12-month RCT will receive cognitive training. Half of the patients will also be randomly assigned to the aerobic exercise and strength training condition, and the other half will be randomly assigned to the Healthy Living Group condition. The primary outcome measures are improvement in cognition and level of engagement in the in-group and at-home exercise sessions. Increases in the level of the patient's serum brain-derived neurotropic factor (specifically Mature BDNF) which causes greater brain neuroplasticity and is indicator of engagement in aerobic exercise, will be measured early in the treatment phase in order to confirm engagement of this target. In order to demonstrate the feasibility and portability of this intervention outside of academic research programs, the interventions will be provided via videoconferencing. The proposed study will incorporate additional methods to maximize participation in the exercise condition, including the use of the Moderated Online Social Therapy (MOST) platform to enhance motivation for treatment based on Self-Determination Theory principles, and a "bridging" group to help the participants generalize gains to everyday functioning. In addition, the exercise group participants will receive personally tailored text reminders to exercise.

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • Your first episode of psychosis—trouble knowing what is real—began within the past 3 years.
  • You have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophreniform disorder, which are illnesses that involve psychosis.
  • You are 18 to 45 years old.
  • You speak English well enough and are familiar enough with the culture for the study tests to give valid results.
  • You are likely to live close enough to travel to the UCLA Aftercare Research Program.

Who can't join

  • Your IQ, a score on a test of thinking skills, was below 70 before your illness began.
  • You have a known brain or nerve disorder, such as epilepsy, or a serious head injury.
  • You had a moderate or severe substance use disorder in the 6 months before your first episode, or your psychosis was caused by substance use.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: 1. a first episode of a psychotic illness that began within the past three years; 2. a diagnosis by DSM-5 of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophreniform disorder; 3. age 18 to 45 years of age; 4. sufficient acculturation and fluency in the English language to avoid invalidating research measures; and 5. residence likely to be within commuting distance of the UCLA Aftercare Research Program. Exclusion Criteria: 1. premorbid IQ less than 70; 2. evidence of a known neurological disorder (e.g., epilepsy) or significant head injury; 3. evidence of moderate or severe substance use disorder within the six months prior to the first episode or evidence of a substance-induced psychosis.

Study sites (1)

CA