Will Decreased Noradrenergic Activity Normalize Information Processing in Patients With Schizophrenia?

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2011-12-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Male

Summary

The investigators want to try to improve information processing in schizophrenic patients via pharmacological intervention. The hypothesis is that decreased noradrenergic activity will normalize information processing (PPI, P50 gating, P300, and mismatch negativity) in patients with schizophrenia.

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

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Birte Glenthoj
• Collaborators: Glostrup University Hospital, Copenhagen; Lundbeck Foundation; University of Copenhagen
• Treatments: Clonidine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients:

• Male subjects

• Meeting the DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia

• Controls:

• Male subjects

• Good Physical and Mental Health meeting criteria "never mentally ill", which will be evaluated with a medical history checklist

• Non smokers

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients:

• A P50 suppression or PPI score falling within a range of 10 percent above or below the mean score of the healthy control group

• Controls:

• Current use of any medication

• Any subject who has received any investigational medication within 30 days prior to the start of this study

• History of neurologic illness

• History of psychiatric illness in first-degree relatives, evaluated with DSM-IV criteria

• History of alcohol and drug abuse.