Nicotine Effects on Endophenotypes of Schizophrenia

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2012-03-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

The purpose of this study is to test the effects of nicotine on cognition with the following schizophrenia endophenotypes: prepulse inhibition, antisaccades, the continuous performance test, spatial working memory and a verbal memory task. Schizophrenia patients, unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients and healthy controls receive transdermal nicotine in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University Hospital, Bonn
• Collaborator: German Research Foundation
• Treatments: Nicotine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients:

• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM IV) diagnosis of schizophrenia

• age 18-55 years old

• able to provide informed consent

• treated with antipsychotic medications at a stable dose for at least 6 weeks

• normal or corrected to normal vision

• smokers (Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence > 4)

• non-smokers (< 100 cigarettes/lifetime, not having smoked in the past year)

Controls:

• age 18-55 years old

• able to provide informed consent

• normal or corrected to normal vision

• smokers (Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence > 4)

• non-smokers (< 100 cigarettes/lifetime, not having smoked in the past year)

Unaffected First-Degree Relatives of Schizophrenia Patients:

• same inclusion criteria as controls plus

• having an adult first-degree relative (sibling, parent, child) with a DSM IV diagnosis of schizophrenia

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients:

• substance dependence

• clinical instability

• changes in medication in the last 6 weeks

• anticholinergic medication

• untreated hypertension

• cardiovascular disease

• insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

• phaeochromocytoma

• uncontrolled hyperthyroidism

• renal or hepatic impairment

• central nervous system disease

• pulmonary disease

• generalised dermatological disorders (neurodermatitis, psoriasis, chronic dermatitis, urticaria, etc.)

• gastric or intestinal ulcer

• hypersensitivity to nicotine

• allergy to patches

• women: pregnancy, lactation

Controls:

• substance dependence

• having a first-, second-, or third-degree relative with a psychotic disorder

• DSM IV Axis I disorder

• anticholinergic medication

• untreated hypertension

• cardiovascular disease

• insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

• phaeochromocytoma

• uncontrolled hyperthyroidism

• renal or hepatic impairment

• central nervous system disease

• pulmonary disease

• generalised dermatological disorders (neurodermatitis, psoriasis, chronic dermatitis, urticaria, etc.)

• gastric or intestinal ulcer

• hypersensitivity to nicotine

• allergy to patches

• women: pregnancy, lactation

Unaffected First-Degree Relatives of Schizophrenia Patients:

• same exclusion criteria as controls