NCT01975584

Neuroendocrine and Immune Response to Stress in Schizophrenia

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 21 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Maryland, Baltimore · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 64 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This is a pilot study. We are testing the physiologic, immune and chemical responses to stress. We believe the results of all measures to stress will be blunted in schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. We will test sex, early life stress and other factors on the relationship to a stress response.

Detailed description

The proposed study examines the response of neuroimmune and inflammatory responses to a stress in both men and women with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The measurements include stress hormones or other elements in the blood which indicate stress . Early childhood trauma/stress (ELS) information will be collected so we can examine differences in those with trauma histories vs. those with none by sex. There will be one visit for screening before the testing visit. The sample will consist of up to 45 clinically stable inpatients and outpatients with DSM-IV schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, of which approximately 15 will be women. We will also enroll up to 45 healthy controls without a DSM-IV Axis I or II disorder. Prior to the study all subjects must meet inclusion and exclusion criteria including a medical history. The (TSST) is a standard and widely used research assessment procedure that is used to reliably induce stress in human research participants. The TSST uses situations where people think they are being socially evaluated during an interview for a job. Participants are told they are competing with other people for this job, and their task is to convince interviewers that they are the best person for the job. Participants are told they have to prepare a speech, and complete a math challenge in their head.

Conditions

• Schizophrenia
• Schizoaffective Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Trier Social Stress Test	Participants will participate in a standardized role play (Trier Social Stress Test ). A role play is pretending to be in a certain situation. A research staff member will describe the role play, during which teh participant will act out a scene. Participants will be asked to imagine that they are in a certain role with several other research team members who will also participate in the role play. Participants will also be asked to do some math problems without using paper or pencil.

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-09-01
• Primary completion: 2018-06-01
• Completion: 2018-06-01
• First posted: 2013-11-04
• Last updated: 2019-09-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States