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Purpose

In the proposed study, the investigators will utilize resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) and structural MRI-based electrical field modeling to study the effect of electroconvulsive therapy on human neural circuitry. Our study will recruit patients who are beginning treatment with bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (N=75). Our design will be longitudinal where patients will be followed up until their 8th week electroconvulsive therapy clinically. The primary measure of interest will be the slope of clinical change estimated with mixed effect modeling (see Approach). Secondary measures will be the cognitive performance change between baseline and the 8th week electroconvulsive therapy time point.

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 80 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  1. current positive symptoms rated ≥4 (moderate) on one or more of these BPRS 53 items: hallucinatory behavior, unusual thought content, suspiciousness, conceptual disorganization; 2. has failed at least one trial of treatment with antipsychotic drug, lasting 6 weeks in duration, 3. competent and willing to sign informed consent; 4. for women, negative pregnancy test and agreement to use a medically accepted birth control method; and 5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective or schizophreniform disorder.

Exclusion Criteria

  1. serious neurological or endocrine disorder; 2. any medical condition which requires treatment with a medication with psychotropic effects; 3. significant risk of suicidal or homicidal behavior; 4. cognitive (MMSE ≤ 23) or language limitations that would preclude subjects providing informed consent; 5. contraindications to treatment with electroconvulsive therapy; 6. contraindications to magnetic resonance imaging (e.g. pacemaker)

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
N/A
Intervention Model
Single Group Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Other
Treatment as usual
  • Diagnostic Test: clinical and neuropsychological testing
    Patients are monitored with Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) weekly and structural and functional MRI and MATRICS battery before and at the end of the course of the study
    Other names:
    • MRI of the brain

Recruiting Locations

The Zucker Hillside Hospital
Glen Oaks, New York 11004
Contact:
Heela Azizi
718-470-8165
hazizi1@northwell.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Northwell Health

Study Contact

Heela Azizi
718-470-8165
hazizi1@northwell.edu

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.