D-Serine for Enhancing Cognitive Retraining for the Treatment of Schizophrenia

• Sponsor: Yale University (Other)
• Overall Status: Completed
• CT.gov ID: NCT00237848
• Collaborator: Stanley Medical Research Institute (Other), Donaghue Foundation (Other), US Department of Veterans Affairs (U.S. Fed), VA Office of Research and Development (U.S. Fed)
• Enrollment: 72
• Location: 1

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

This study will examine the effectiveness of D-serine in increasing and sustaining the benefits of cognitive retraining in people with schizophrenia.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Schizophrenia; Schizoaffective Disorder	Drug: D-serine; Behavioral: Cognitive retraining	Phase 3

Detailed Description

This study is based on the hypothesis that by increasing NMDA receptor function in the brain and thereby increasing the capacity of the brain to both form new connections and strengthen existing connections, schizophrenic patients may derive both greater and sustained benefit from cognitive retraining.

Patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who are currently receiving antipsychotic medication will be randomly assigned in a double-blind manner to receive either D-serine (30 mg/kg) or placebo in addition to cognitive rehabilitation or a non-interactive placebo for 12 weeks.

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Anticipated Enrollment: 72 participants
• Allocation: Randomized
• Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double
• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Official Title: D-Serine Augmentation of Cognitive Retraining in Schizophrenia
• Study Start Date: Feb 1, 2005

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

1. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) []

2. Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) []

3. Hopkins Verbal Learning Test []

4. Spatial working memory task []

Secondary Outcome Measures

1. Heinrichs-Carpenter Quality of Life Scale []

2. Neurocognitive training tasks []

3. Functional assessments []

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years to 65 Years
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder

• Clinically stable

• Treated with antipsychotic medications for at least 6 months in the past, and on a stable dose of the same antipsychotic medication over the past month

• Not pregnant or lactating

Exclusion Criteria:

• Other current or past DSM-IV Axis I diagnosis

• Calgary Depression scale score >10 or Simpson-Angus Rating Scale score > 20

• Currently treated with clozapine, lamotrigine or carbamazepine, or defined as treatment refractory

• Substance abuse or dependence within the past 3 months, except for nicotine

• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised score < 70

• Significant recent (within past 3 months) risk of committing suicide

• Abnormal thyroid function tests within the last 6 months

• Previous treatment with D-serine

• History of evidence of a medical or neurological condition that would expose the subject to an undue risk of a significant adverse event or interfere with assessments of safety or efficacy during the trial

• Clinically significant abnormal laboratory test results at screening

• ECT treatment within the past two months

Contacts and Locations

Locations

	Site	City	State	Country	Postal Code
1	National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences	Bangalore	Karnataka	India	560029

Sponsors and Collaborators

• Yale University
• Stanley Medical Research Institute
• Donaghue Foundation
• US Department of Veterans Affairs
• VA Office of Research and Development

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: Deepak C. D'Souza, MD, Yale University

Study Documents (Full-Text)

None provided.

More Information

Publications

• Heresco-Levy U, Javitt DC, Ebstein R, Vass A, Lichtenberg P, Bar G, Catinari S, Ermilov M. D-serine efficacy as add-on pharmacotherapy to risperidone and olanzapine for treatment-refractory schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2005 Mar 15;57(6):577-85.
• Tsai G, Yang P, Chung LC, Lange N, Coyle JT. D-serine added to antipsychotics for the treatment of schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 1998 Dec 1;44(11):1081-9.
• Tsai GE, Yang P, Chung LC, Tsai IC, Tsai CW, Coyle JT. D-serine added to clozapine for the treatment of schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry. 1999 Nov;156(11):1822-5.

• Responsible Party: Deepak C. D'Souza, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00237848
• Other Study ID Numbers: RPA/020/03; 1R01DA022495; 103T-363
• First Posted: Oct 12, 2005
• Last Update Posted: Jun 18, 2012
• Last Verified: Apr 1, 2008

• Additional relevant MeSH terms: Schizophrenia; Psychotic Disorders

Study Results

No Results Posted as of Jun 18, 2012