CHANSS

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Characterising Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia

• IRAS ID

  295622

• Contact name

  Emilio Fernandez-Egea

• Contact email

  ef280@cam.ac.uk

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  N/A, N/A

• Duration of Study in the UK

  3 years, 7 months, 28 days

• Research summary

  The so-called ‘negative symptoms’ of schizophrenia are features that affect motivation and emotion in patients suffering the psychotic disorder. These symptoms are extremely common (80%) and are crucial for the long-term prognosis. They tend to be overlooked and far less studied than the so-called positive symptoms (delusions and voices).

  In a recently completed work using a computer task, we found that patients with schizophrenia were willing to invest the same levels of effort for lower rewards as controls. However, unlike controls, patients were not willing to invest higher levels of effort for greater rewards. These were puzzling results (in preparation for submission for publication), which might have important consequences in terms of novel interventions.
  In this project, we will explore possible mechanisms for why patients are less interested in higher rewards. We will use a similar setting to our previous study (computer tasks and clinical questionnaires). However, here we aim to test a larger group of patients and healthy controls (100 per group) and using more tasks that can help us to better characterize the negative symptoms. For instance, we will study how the degree of apathy is associated with the performance in different tasks. These tasks will measure the level of self-confidence, the ability to consider all the options, or the level of emotional reactiveness.

  We will offer participation to people diagnosed with schizophrenia for over a year, aged 18 to 65 years old and on stable medication as well as healthy controls matched by age and gender. Assessments will typically last 2-3 hours, which can be done on different days if needed. Analyses will include classical statistics as well novel complex statistical techniques, so-called computational analyses of the behavior during the task (the type of answer and reaction speed), and symptom severity scales. Participants will be offered £25 as compensation for their participation.

• REC name

  Wales REC 5

• REC reference

  21/WA/0056

• Date of REC Opinion

  19 Feb 2021

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion