D-serine Augmentation of Neuroplasticity

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2021-04-30
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Schizophrenia is a major public health problem associated with cognitive deficits, such as short and long term memory, executive functioning, attention and speed of processing that are amongst the strongest predictors of impaired functional outcome. In addition, schizophrenia patients show reduced "plasticity", defined as reduced learning.

D-serine is a naturally occurring activator of the N-methyl-d-aspartate-type glutamate receptors (NMDAR) in the brain, and this project will assess the optimal dose of D-serine treatment over three sessions of a program designed to measure auditory plasticity.

• Phase: Phase 1/Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: New York State Psychiatric Institute
• Collaborator: Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age between 18 and 50

2. DSM-V diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder

3. Willing to provide informed consent

4. Auditory Cognitive impairment demonstrated by:

a .MCCB composite domain score less than or equal to 0.5 standard deviation below normal (T score less than or equal to 45) b. And at least one of the following:

• MCCB verbal memory domain score less than or equal to 0.5 standard deviation below normal (T score less than or equal to 45)

• Tone matching score of less than or equal to 77.7%

5. Clinically stable for 2 months (CGI less than or equal to 4)

6. Moderate or lower cognitive disorganization (PANSS P2 less than or equal to 4)

7. Medically stable for study participation

8. Willing to use qualified methods of contraception for the study duration and up to 2 months after its end

9. Fluent English speaker

10. Normal hearing

11. Visual acuity corrected to 20/30

12. An estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) greater than or equal to 60

13. Taking an antipsychotic medication other than clozapine at a stable dose for at least 4 weeks

14. Judged clinically not to be at significant suicide or violence risk

Exclusion Criteria:

1. ECG abnormality that is clinically significant in the context of study participation in the opinion of the study cardiologist

2. Current clozapine use

3. Presence of positive history of unstable significant medical or neurological illness

4. Positive toxicology screen for any substances of abuse

5. Substance use disorder (excluding nicotine) within last 60 days

6. Pregnant women or women of child-bearing potential, who are either not surgically-sterile or for outpatients, using appropriate methods of birth control. Women of childbearing potential must have a negative serum -hCG pregnancy test at every visit.

7. Participation in study of investigational medication/device within 4 weeks

8. Subjects with suicidal ideation with intent or plan (indicated by affirmative answers to items 4 or 5 of the Suicidal Ideation section of the baseline C-SSRS) in the 6 months prior to screening or subjects who represent a significant risk of suicide in the opinion of the investigator Section