Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

San Francisco and Davis Schizophrenia Study Participation Opportunity

Researchers at the Universities of California, San Francisco and Davis are looking for potential research participants for a new study that aims to answer the following question: Does computer training help the symptoms of early schizophrenia?

The Stanley Medical Research Institute is funding the study, which will examine whether young people with schizophrenia benefit from specialized computer training. The idea behind this study is that these people may experience a lessening of their symptoms and an improvement in cognitive abilities as a result of receiving specialized computer training.

Eligibility
You are eligible to participate if
1) You have a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder or schizoaffective disorder.
2) Your first episode of schizophrenia symptoms began within the last 3 years.
3) You are in good general medical health.
4) You are doing well and have been on the same medication for at least four weeks.
5) You are between the ages of 16 and 30.
6) You live in or around the San Francisco Bay Area OR Sacramento.
7) You are fluent and proficient in the English language.

Requirements
In order to participate in this study, potential research subjects must commit to spending 60 minutes a day on either their home computer with Internet access or a computer at either UCSF or UCD. Further, the study requires that these 60 minute sessions take place five days per week, for eight consecutive weeks.

Participants should be available for 3 appointments (with interviews and paper-and-pencil tests) and two quick blood tests at the start of the study, and two appointments plus a quick blood test at the end of the study. Participants will also be asked to return for two appointments and a blood test 6 months after they complete the study. You will be offered an opportunity to complete an additional 8 weeks of computer training with different modules, and you may also be able to return to complete a second set of computer exercises after your 6-month assessments.

Compensation
Participants will be paid $60 for the three appointments at the start of the study, $5/day for each day at the computer, a $20 bonus for each two weeks at the computer and $40 for the two appointments at the end of the 8 or 16 weeks. You will receive a $30 bonus for completing all 8 and/or 16 weeks on the computer and the follow-up assessments, and $40 for coming in 6 months after the study to do the final 2 appointments. If you return to complete the second set of computer training exercises, you will be paid the same amounts.

Contact
If you are interested or know someone who might be, contact the researchers at:
UC San Francisco: 415-476-7278
UC Davis: 916-734-0512

Note: A confidential phone screening will be conducted in order to determine initial eligibility. (If you are under 18 years of age, please have your parent(s) or guardian(s) call).

UCSF Principal Investigator: Sophia Vinogradov, M.D.
UCD Principal Investigator: Cameron Carter, M.D.