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Brain Stimulation to the Hippocampus in Schizophrenia

Theta Burst Modulation of Hippocampal-Cortical Rhythms in Schizophrenia

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 65 Years
Sex
All sexes
Healthy volunteers
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 study tests whether magnetic brain stimulation (TMS), done outside the head, can change activity in a brain area called the hippocampus in people with schizophrenia. It includes groups for people with schizophrenia-related disorders and separate groups for people with epilepsy that is hard to treat.

Schizophrenia - marked by delusions, hallucinations, and cognitive deficits - causes the most disability of any mental health condition, but existing treatments have significant side effect burden and are often ineffective. Disordered neural activity in the hippocampus likely contributes to schizophrenia symptoms, but to develop better therapies we need to understand whether hippocampal activity in schizophrenia can be systematically affected by non-invasive brain stimulation techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This proposal will investigate the use of connectivity-guided theta burst brain stimulation to specifically target hippocampal function in schizophrenia, offering insights into fundamental hippocampal processes, schizophrenia pathophysiology, and potential avenues to use brain stimulation as a therapeutic tool in this devastating illness.

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

Eligibility

Who can join

  • Adults ages 18 to 65.
  • For groups using brain recordings from inside the skull: have epilepsy that does not respond to treatment and needs this type of monitoring.
  • For groups using TMS and brain-wave recordings: have a diagnosis of schizophrenia or a related disorder listed in the study.
  • Be able to understand the study and its risks and agree to take part.
  • Have no current or past major brain or nerve disorder other than epilepsy.

Who can't join

  • A diagnosis of intellectual disability.
  • A serious head injury.
  • Current thoughts of suicide or a suicide attempt in the past year.
  • An illness that affects brain structure or function, or another health condition that is not controlled or stable.
  • Pregnant, or less than 6 weeks after giving birth or having a miscarriage.
  • Unable to understand the study and give consent.
  • Active substance abuse in the past year, other than alcohol or cannabis; or a psychotic illness linked in time to substance use or a head injury.
  • Cannot safely have an MRI scan or TMS, for example because of metal implanted in the body.

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

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Men and women, ages 18 to 65 years * Medically intractable epilepsy requiring phase II monitoring (intracranial EEG arms only) * DSM-V diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum Axis I disorders including delusional disorder, brief psychotic disorder, schizophreniform disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder (non-invasive TMS-EEG arms only). * Must have intellectual capacity to ensure adequate comprehension of the study and potential risks involved in order to provide informed consent * No current or history of major neurological disorders other than epilepsy. Exclusion Criteria: * DSM5 diagnosis of intellectual disability * Significant head injury * Active suicidal ideation or history of suicide attempt within the past 1 year. * Medical illness affecting brain structure or function, or other uncontrolled or unstable medical condition. * Pregnancy or postpartum (\<6 weeks after delivery or miscarriage) * Inability to provide informed consent * Active substance abuse other than alcohol or cannabis within the past 1 year * Psychotic illness with a temporal relation to substance use or head injury * Those with a contraindication for MRIs or TMS (e.g. implanted metal).

Study sites (1)

CA