Brain Cell Injury in Patients With A First Episode of Psychosis

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Status

Completed

Conditions

Psychoses

Study type

Observational

Funder types

NIH

Identifiers

NCT00070889

R01AT000147-01

Details and patient eligibility

About

Patients experiencing a first episode of psychosis may have brain cell damage due to a chemical process called oxidation. This study will compare patients with psychosis to healthy volunteers to determine if there are differences in their blood that reflect oxidative brain cell damage.

Full description

Preliminary research indicated that impaired antioxidant defense and increased lipid peroxidation is associated with brain changes during the onset of psychosis. Oxidative cell injury may contribute to poor outcomes in some patients. This study will define the extent and nature of oxidative cell injury that is associated with psychopathology at the onset of psychosis.

Participants in this study will be patients at the D. D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center who are experiencing a psychotic episode for the first time. Patients will be compared with 40 healthy volunteers (control group) matched with patients for age, gender, education, ethnic background, and occupational status. Patients and volunteers will have blood tests to determine the level of oxidative cell injury. Tests will be performed at onset of psychosis, and after 6 and 12 weeks of neuroleptic drug treatment. Medical histories and MRI scans will be used to examine the relationship of the laboratory tests to the clinical presentation.

Sex

All

Ages

12 to 45 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria