Peripheral Immune System in Individuals With Schizophrenia

NCT ID: NCT05109065

Last Updated: 2025-06-06

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

63 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-03-01

Study Completion Date

2024-05-23

Brief Summary

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The investigators are seeking healthy volunteers and people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder for a clinical study of the immune system in psychotic disorders. This is an observational study, to understand the ways in which the immune system may be contributing to the disease process.

Detailed Description

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Genetic studies have linked the number of copies coding for C4 protein to risk for schizophrenia. Studies examining the amount of mRNA, the molecules that point to how much C4 protein is likely being made, found more C4 mRNA in the brains from individuals with schizophrenia. Studies in mice have suggested that expressing more C4 protein in the brain, specifically the A-type of C4, can result in abnormalities in behavior. However, researchers have also found that pathways that involve this protein in the blood to be abnormal in individuals even before they develop schizophrenia and hypothesize these abnormalities change the blood brain barrier. In this work, the researchers are hoping to understand the ways in which C4 protein is abnormal in the peripheral blood and how this may be contributing to the disease process in hopes of finding new ways of helping individuals with schizophrenia and possibly other mental health disorders. A major goal of this study is to collect blood tissue for ongoing translational study of pathophysiological mechanisms of schizophrenia.

Interested participants will be asked a series of questions about their medical and mental health history, be able to provide informed consent, undergo a urine toxicology screen and be willing to provide a blood sample.

Conditions

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Schizophrenia Schizo Affective Disorder Schizophreniform Disorders

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

CASE_CONTROL

Study Time Perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

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Individuals with primary psychotic disorders

Participants who have received any of the following diagnoses: schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophreniform disorder.

Participants will have urine toxicology screen, vitals recorded, and blood drawn in a single visit.

SCID (Standardized Clinical Interview for DSM-V)

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) is a semistructured interview guide for a clinician or trained mental health professional to diagnose major mental illnesses.

PSS (Perceived Stress Score)

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is the most widely used psychological instrument for measuring the perception of stress. It is a measure of the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. Items were designed to tap how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded respondents find their lives. Demographic information will also be collected.

Urine Toxicology Screen

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Participants will be asked to provide a urine sample. Evidence of active substance abuse (marijuana, opioids, other non-prescription drugs) by the urine toxicology screen will disqualify participants from the study.

Vitals

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Height and weight will be measured in order to calculate BMI.

Blood Work

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A venipuncture will be performed for the purpose of collecting blood tissue for study.

COVID Screening

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Questionnaire to assess risk of transmission of COVID-19.

Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Instrument that is completed by clinical interviewer to measure symptom severity in individuals with psychotic disorders.

Healthy Controls

Healthy participants who do not have any exclusion criteria will undergo an assessment to confirm absence of psychiatric disorder.

Participants will have urine toxicology screen, vitals recorded, and blood drawn in a single visit.

SCID (Standardized Clinical Interview for DSM-V)

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) is a semistructured interview guide for a clinician or trained mental health professional to diagnose major mental illnesses.

PSS (Perceived Stress Score)

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is the most widely used psychological instrument for measuring the perception of stress. It is a measure of the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. Items were designed to tap how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded respondents find their lives. Demographic information will also be collected.

Urine Toxicology Screen

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Participants will be asked to provide a urine sample. Evidence of active substance abuse (marijuana, opioids, other non-prescription drugs) by the urine toxicology screen will disqualify participants from the study.

Vitals

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Height and weight will be measured in order to calculate BMI.

Blood Work

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

A venipuncture will be performed for the purpose of collecting blood tissue for study.

PQ-B

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

The Prodromal Questionnaire - Brief Version (PQ-B) is a self-report measure designed to identify people who may be experiencing psychotic symptoms when they do not have a schizophrenia diagnosis.

COVID Screening

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Questionnaire to assess risk of transmission of COVID-19.

Interventions

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SCID (Standardized Clinical Interview for DSM-V)

The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) is a semistructured interview guide for a clinician or trained mental health professional to diagnose major mental illnesses.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

PSS (Perceived Stress Score)

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is the most widely used psychological instrument for measuring the perception of stress. It is a measure of the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. Items were designed to tap how unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded respondents find their lives. Demographic information will also be collected.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Urine Toxicology Screen

Participants will be asked to provide a urine sample. Evidence of active substance abuse (marijuana, opioids, other non-prescription drugs) by the urine toxicology screen will disqualify participants from the study.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Vitals

Height and weight will be measured in order to calculate BMI.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Blood Work

A venipuncture will be performed for the purpose of collecting blood tissue for study.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

PQ-B

The Prodromal Questionnaire - Brief Version (PQ-B) is a self-report measure designed to identify people who may be experiencing psychotic symptoms when they do not have a schizophrenia diagnosis.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

COVID Screening

Questionnaire to assess risk of transmission of COVID-19.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)

Instrument that is completed by clinical interviewer to measure symptom severity in individuals with psychotic disorders.

Intervention Type DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder diagnosis verified by interview
* Diagnosis or initiation of antipsychotic medication was within last 5 years


* No known diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder
* No history of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, agoraphobia, panic disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder
* Negative assessment for psychotic symptoms on day of interview

Exclusion Criteria

* Participants have a history of bleeding disorders or are taking blood thinners.
* Participants have a history of epilepsy, known genetic disorders
* Immunocompromised state (eg., receiving immunosuppressive therapy, transplant).
* History of brain-related disease (eg., stroke)
* Any uncontrolled medical disorder such as cancer.
* History of substance abuse or positive urine toxicology screen (including test for marijuana) on the day of the blood draw
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

40 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Stanford University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Agnieszka Kalinowski

Clinical Asst Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Agnieszka Kalinowski, MD PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Clinical Assistant Professor

Locations

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Stanford University School of Medicine

Stanford, California, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Kalinowski A, Liliental J, Anker LA, Linkovski O, Culbertson C, Hall JN, Pattni R, Sabatti C, Noordsy D, Hallmayer JF, Mellins ED, Ballon JS, O'Hara R, Levinson DF, Urban AE. Increased activation product of complement 4 protein in plasma of individuals with schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry. 2021 Sep 22;11(1):486. doi: 10.1038/s41398-021-01583-5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34552056 (View on PubMed)

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Informed Consent Form

View Document

Related Links

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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30527272/

Laskaris, et.al. Schizophr Res . 2019 Feb;204:30-37.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-00763-8

Yilmaz, et. al. Nat Neurosci . 2021 Feb;24(2):214-224.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26814963/

Sekar, at al. Nature . 2016 Feb 11;530(7589):177-83.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-021-01184-0

Radhakrishnan, et al. Mol Psychiatry . 2021 Jun 16.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-021-01515-3

Onwordi, et. al. Transl Psychiatry . 2021 Jul 17;11(1):393.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-14122-0

Onwordi, et. al. Nat Commun . 2020 Jan 14;11(1):246.

Other Identifiers

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58926

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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