Pharmacologic Augmentation of Targeted Cognitive Training in Schizophrenia
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2023-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
These studies look to conduct efficient pilot testing of a novel intervention strategy for
chronic psychotic disorders - Pharmacologic Augmentation of Cognitive Therapy (PACT) - via an
experimental medicine approach. Antipsychotics are the major therapeutic tool for chronic
psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, but do not significantly alter their course or
real-life impact. Specific cognitive therapies achieve modest symptom reduction and improved
function and cognition in psychosis patients, including "bottom-up" sensory-based targeted
cognitive training (TCT). While benefits of TCT are evident at the group level, almost half
of all patients demonstrate little or no cognitive gains after 30-40 hours (h) of TCT. For
patients and clinicians, the costs and logistical complexities associated with these time-
and resource-intensive interventions can be prohibitive. We propose and will test a novel
"augmentation strategy" for using medications to specifically enhance the benefits of TCT in
schizophrenia.