Intra-cortical Inhibition and Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia

Sponsor
Tongji University (Other)
Overall Status
Recruiting
CT.gov ID
NCT05542212
Collaborator
(none)
200
1
3
17
11.8

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Cognitive deficit is a core symptom of schizophrenia (SZ), but its pathological mechanism is poorly understood and the treatment effect is poor. The excitatory-inhibitory microcircuit (E-I) function imbalance formed by inhibitory interneurons and excitatory pyramidal cells in the cerebral cortex is a new mechanism of cognitive deficits in SZ discovered in recent years. Cortical E-I is expected to be a new target for the treatment of cognitive deficits in SZ. Paired transcranial magnetic stimulation (ppTMS)-induced intracortical inhibition (ICI) is dependent on cortical E-I functional integrity. We found that ICI deficiency is stable in SZ and is closely related to cognitive function. Therefore, ICI is likely to be a system-level biomarker for cognitive deficits caused by E-I imbalance. However, no study has yet explored the genetic basis of ICI and its impact on the occurrence, development and treatment response of cognitive deficits in SZ. Based on this, we intend to verify the value of ppTMS-induced ICI as a biomarker of E-I imbalance in SZ patients and normal controls at different stages: 1. To explore the correlation of ICI with multidimensional cognitive deficits and E-I pathway genes; 2. To explore ICI Combining candidate genes and serum inflammatory factors can predict whether TMS can improve the efficacy of cognitive deficits, and can be used for precise treatment of SZ cognitive deficits at the level of pathological mechanisms.

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Device: Transcranial Magenetic Stimulation
  • Device: Sham Transcranial Magenetic Stimulation
N/A

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Anticipated Enrollment :
200 participants
Allocation:
Randomized
Intervention Model:
Parallel Assignment
Masking:
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose:
Treatment
Official Title:
The Validity of Intra-cortical Inhibition as a Biomarker of Cognitive Deficits in Schizophrenia and in Predicting the Efficacy of TMS Treatment
Anticipated Study Start Date :
Sep 1, 2022
Anticipated Primary Completion Date :
Dec 1, 2023
Anticipated Study Completion Date :
Feb 1, 2024

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: TMS treatment group

Device: Transcranial Magenetic Stimulation
Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) treatment plan: iTBS treatment for the left dlPFC were used for a total of 20 treatments (one time each Monday to Friday, continuous treatment for 4 weeks).

Sham Comparator: TMS Sham Control Group

Device: Sham Transcranial Magenetic Stimulation
Sham stimulation: The coil angle is set at 90° to the scalp for Sham stimulation of the left dlPFC for a total of 20 treatments (one time each Monday to Friday, continuous treatment for 4 weeks).

No Intervention: Normal Control

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

  1. Percent Change from Baseline Speed of Information Processing score at 2 weeks and 4 weeks assessed by MATRICS toolkit. [Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks]

    Measured by summation of Trail Making Test, BACS Symbol coding and Verbal Fluency scores in MATRICS (Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia)

  2. Percent Change from Attention/Vigilance score at 2 weeks and 4 weeks assessed by MATRICS toolkit. [Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks]

    Measured by Continuous Performence Test scores in MATRICS

  3. Percent Change from Working Memory score at 2 weeks and 4 weeks assessed by MATRICS toolkit. [Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks]

    Measured by WMS-III SS scores in MATRICS

  4. Percent Change from Verbal Learning score at 2 weeks and 4 weeks assessed by MATRICS toolkit. [Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks]

    Measured by HVLT-R scores in MATRICS

  5. Percent Change from Visual Learning score at 2 weeks and 4 weeks assessed by MATRICS toolkit. [Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks]

    Measured by BVMT-R scores in MATRICS

  6. Percent Change from Reasoning and Problem Solving score at 2 weeks and 4 weeks assessed by MATRICS toolkit. [Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks]

    Measured by NAB Mazes scores in MATRICS

  7. Percent Change from Social Cognition score at 2 weeks and 4 weeks assessed by MATRICS toolkit. [Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks]

    Measured by MSCEIT Branch 4 scores in MATRICS

Secondary Outcome Measures

  1. Change from baseline Intracortical inhibition [Baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks]

    Intracortical inhibition is the Percent Inhibition of Movement Evokded Potentials of the test TMS stimulus by a conditinal TMS stimulus

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Yes
Inclusion Criteria:
  • Healthy Volunteers or Schizophrenia patients: To be diagnosed as "schizophrenia" by the research doctor using the DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorder Clinical Examination Guidelines Research Edition (SCID-I/P) ;

  • Right-handed;

  • Education level of junior high school or above;

  • The patient is a permanent resident of Shanghai, and there is no plan to move to another place in the next 3 months, and can cooperate with follow-ups;

  • Has signed an informed Consent;

  • The patient should meet one of the following two conditions: A. First-time onset of schizophrenia, never taking antipsychotics, and PANSS score ≥ 70 points; B. Schizophrenia with less than 3 episodes Symptomatic patients, whose symptoms were relieved within the past 3 months (PANSS score <60 points).

Exclusion Criteria:
  • Those who have local or diffuse brain injury or severe brain trauma, and those who have intracranial hypertension;

  • Those who have a history of epileptic seizures or a family history of idiopathic epilepsy;

  • Those who have paramagnetic or non-paramagnetic metals in the head and neck Implants (such as cochlear implants, titanium clips, etc.);

  • Those who have Alcohol dependence and other drug abusers;

  • Those who have Severe heart disease, pacemaker or stent implantation;

  • Have taken benzodiazepines or received TMS or electroconvulsive therapy within 3 months;

  • Patients with moderate or higher depression (HAMD≥17) and anxiety (HAMA≥14) mood;

  • Those who are considered unsuitable for enrollment by the researchers.

Contacts and Locations

Locations

Site City State Country Postal Code
1 Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center Shanghai Shanghai China 200124

Sponsors and Collaborators

  • Tongji University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Weiqing Liu, Ph.D, Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center

Study Documents (Full-Text)

None provided.

More Information

Publications

None provided.
Responsible Party:
Weiqing Liu, Associate Professor, Tongji University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT05542212
Other Study ID Numbers:
  • PDJWLL-2021028
First Posted:
Sep 15, 2022
Last Update Posted:
Sep 15, 2022
Last Verified:
Sep 1, 2022
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
No
Plan to Share IPD:
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product:
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product:
No
Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Study Results

No Results Posted as of Sep 15, 2022