Trial Outcomes & Findings for The Efficacy of Neural Stimulation in Individuals With Schizophrenia (NCT NCT05746494)

NCT ID: NCT05746494

Last Updated: 2025-02-26

Results Overview

Paranoid ideation was measured by the State Social Paranoia Scale (SSPS). Participants indicated how much they agree with each of 20 statements (e.g., "Someone was hostile towards me", "Someone was trying to isolate me") using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = do not agree, 5 = totally agree). Scores range from 20-100, and higher scores represent higher state paranoid ideation.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

NA

Target enrollment

50 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

The assessment was completed before the stimulation and 30 minutes after completion of the active/sham stimulation

Results posted on

2025-02-26

Participant Flow

A total of 50 participants were enrolled and eventually completing the whole procedure.

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
Active Anodal tDCS First, Then Sham tDCS
Active anodal tDCS (40 minutes; divided into two 20-minutes sessions) followed by behavioral testing; Washout (about 1 week); sham stimulation (40 minutes; divided into two 20-minutes sessions) followed by behavioral testing. tDCS: active anodal tDCS and sham tDCS
Sham tDCS First, Then Active Anodal tDCS
Sham tDCS (40 minutes; divided into two 20-minutes sessions) followed by behavioral testing; Washout (about 1 week); Active anodal tDCS (40 minutes; divided into two 20-minutes sessions) followed by behavioral testing Intervention. tDCS: active anodal tDCS and sham tDCS
Overall Study
STARTED
26
24
Overall Study
COMPLETED
26
24
Overall Study
NOT COMPLETED
0
0

Reasons for withdrawal

Withdrawal data not reported

Baseline Characteristics

The Efficacy of Neural Stimulation in Individuals With Schizophrenia

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
Active Anodal tDCS First, Then Sham tDCS
n=26 Participants
Active anodal tDCS (40 minutes; divided into two 20-minutes sessions) followed by behavioral testing; Washout (about 1 week); sham stimulation (40 minutes; divided into two 20-minutes sessions) followed by behavioral testing. tDCS: active anodal tDCS and sham tDCS
Sham tDCS First, Then Active Anodal tDCS
n=24 Participants
Sham tDCS (40 minutes; divided into two 20-minutes sessions) followed by behavioral testing; Washout (about 1 week); Active anodal tDCS (40 minutes; divided into two 20-minutes sessions) followed by behavioral testing Intervention. tDCS: active anodal tDCS and sham tDCS
Total
n=50 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Continuous
44.08 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.24 • n=5 Participants
45.46 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 11.30 • n=7 Participants
44.74 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 10.67 • n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
14 Participants
n=5 Participants
12 Participants
n=7 Participants
26 Participants
n=5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
12 Participants
n=5 Participants
12 Participants
n=7 Participants
24 Participants
n=5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
23 Participants
n=5 Participants
23 Participants
n=7 Participants
46 Participants
n=5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
3 Participants
n=5 Participants
1 Participants
n=7 Participants
4 Participants
n=5 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
2 Participants
n=5 Participants
1 Participants
n=7 Participants
3 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
14 Participants
n=5 Participants
13 Participants
n=7 Participants
27 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
9 Participants
n=5 Participants
9 Participants
n=7 Participants
18 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
0 Participants
n=7 Participants
0 Participants
n=5 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
1 Participants
n=5 Participants
1 Participants
n=7 Participants
2 Participants
n=5 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
26 participants
n=5 Participants
24 participants
n=7 Participants
50 participants
n=5 Participants
Handedness
right-handed
23 participants
n=5 Participants
22 participants
n=7 Participants
45 participants
n=5 Participants
Handedness
left-handed
3 participants
n=5 Participants
2 participants
n=7 Participants
5 participants
n=5 Participants
Years of education
12.42 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.08 • n=5 Participants
13.31 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.26 • n=7 Participants
12.85 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2.20 • n=5 Participants
The Wide Range Achievement Test-Reading recognition subtest 4 (WRAT-4)
96.11 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.76 • n=5 Participants
94.08 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.02 • n=7 Participants
95.14 units on a scale
STANDARD_DEVIATION 12.47 • n=5 Participants
Chlorpromazine (CPZ)-equivalent
468.63 mg
STANDARD_DEVIATION 1150.45 • n=5 Participants
396.32 mg
STANDARD_DEVIATION 520.71 • n=7 Participants
433.92 mg
STANDARD_DEVIATION 896.59 • n=5 Participants
Diagnoses
SCZ
8 participants
n=5 Participants
13 participants
n=7 Participants
21 participants
n=5 Participants
Diagnoses
SCZ-A
18 participants
n=5 Participants
11 participants
n=7 Participants
29 participants
n=5 Participants
Current/recent paranoia
Current
21 participants
n=5 Participants
17 participants
n=7 Participants
38 participants
n=5 Participants
Current/recent paranoia
Recent
5 participants
n=5 Participants
7 participants
n=7 Participants
12 participants
n=5 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: The assessment was completed before the stimulation and 30 minutes after completion of the active/sham stimulation

Paranoid ideation was measured by the State Social Paranoia Scale (SSPS). Participants indicated how much they agree with each of 20 statements (e.g., "Someone was hostile towards me", "Someone was trying to isolate me") using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = do not agree, 5 = totally agree). Scores range from 20-100, and higher scores represent higher state paranoid ideation.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the active visit
Sham Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the sham visit
EMA-sham
EMA-sham
The State Social Paranoia Scale (SSPS)
9.72 The change score of SSPS (pre - post)
Standard Deviation 14.61
3.90 The change score of SSPS (pre - post)
Standard Deviation 11.56

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Change in daily paranoia feelings was assessed from the pre-stimulation EMA period (7 days before the stimulation visit) to the post-stimulation EMA period (7 days after the stimulation visit)

Population: Only 47 (out of 50) participants completed this measure.

Paranoid ideation was measured by Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), which involved questions about feelings of paranoia in daily life. The paranoia-related question is as follows: "Since the past alarm, how much have you had thoughts that you really can't trust other people?" The score for this item ranges from 1 to 7, with a higher score indicating a higher level of paranoid thinking.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active Visit
n=47 Participants
Performance at the active visit
Sham Visit
n=47 Participants
Performance at the sham visit
EMA-sham
n=47 Participants
EMA-sham
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)-Based Paranoia
3.78 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.72
3.61 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.91
3.96 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.85

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: The assessment was completed 30 minutes after completion of the active/sham stimulation

Social functioning was measured by the Birchwood Social Functioning Scale (SFS). This scale measures social adjustment based on self-reports (4- or 5-point scales), with higher total scores indicating better social functioning (range = 0-223).

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the active visit
Sham Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the sham visit
EMA-sham
EMA-sham
Birchwood Social Functioning Scale (SFS)
114.21 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 22.35
114.59 units on a scale
Standard Deviation 27.54

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Change in daily interactions was assessed from the pre-stimulation EMA period (7 days before the stimulation visit) to the post-stimulation EMA period (7 days after the stimulation visit)

Population: Only 47 (out of 50) participants completed this measure.

Social functioning was measured by Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) (i.e., questions about daily interactions with others). Two subscores were generated: social interaction frequency (score ranges from 0-5, a higher score indicates more frequent social interactions), social interaction motivation and experience (scores range from 1-7, a higher score indicates higher motivations to interact with others and better experiences during these interactions).

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active Visit
n=47 Participants
Performance at the active visit
Sham Visit
n=47 Participants
Performance at the sham visit
EMA-sham
n=47 Participants
EMA-sham
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)-Based Social Functioning
Social interaction frequency
0.97 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.76
0.91 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.83
0.92 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.90
Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)-Based Social Functioning
Social interaction motivation and experience
3.74 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.62
4.08 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.68
3.71 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.62

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: The assessment was completed 30 minutes after completion of the active/sham stimulation

Paranoid ideation was measured by the Trustworthiness Task. This task requires participants to indicate how much they trust each of 60 grayscale facial stimuli along a 7-point Likert scale (-3 = very untrustworthy, 3 = very trustworthy). Total scores were calculated by averaging across responses and hence varied from -3 to +3, with higher values indicating a greater tendency to trust others.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the active visit
Sham Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the sham visit
EMA-sham
EMA-sham
The Trustworthiness Task
0.07 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.16
-0.18 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.99

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: The assessment was completed 30 minutes after completion of the active/sham stimulation

Population: Only 49 (out of 50) participants completed this task.

Paranoid ideation was measured by the Scrambled-sentences task (SST). This task measures the level of paranoia by asking participants to create sentences of either paranoid or nonparanoid meanings, with a greater percentage indicating a higher level of paranoid interpretation bias (range = 0-1).

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active Visit
n=49 Participants
Performance at the active visit
Sham Visit
n=49 Participants
Performance at the sham visit
EMA-sham
EMA-sham
The Scrambled-sentences Task (SST)
0.46 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.29
0.49 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.28

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: The assessment was completed 30 minutes after completion of the active/sham stimulation

Paranoid ideation was measured by the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ). Three subscores were generated: AIHQ (blame) (ranging from 3-16, with a higher score indicating a higher level of blaming tendency), AIHQ (hostility) (ranging from 1-5, with a higher score indicating a higher level of hostility), AIHQ (aggression) (ranging from 1-5, with a higher score indicating a higher level of aggression).

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the active visit
Sham Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the sham visit
EMA-sham
EMA-sham
The Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ)
AIHQ (blame)
8.28 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 3.07
8.89 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 3.22
The Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ)
AIHQ (hostility)
2.09 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.75
2.35 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.78
The Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ)
AIHQ (aggression)
1.75 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.40
1.78 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 0.39

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: The assessment was completed 30 minutes after completion of the active/sham stimulation

Paranoid ideation was measured by the Hostility Scale of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5-HS). PID-5-HS contains 10 self-report items assessing pathological hostility. A total score (range from 0-30) was generated to reflect overall hostility level, with higher total scores indicating more hostility.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
Active Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the active visit
Sham Visit
n=50 Participants
Performance at the sham visit
EMA-sham
EMA-sham
The Hostility Scale of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5-HS)
9.42 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 7.56
11.30 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 7.57

Adverse Events

Active Visit

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Sham Visit

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 0 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Additional Information

Dr. Linlin Fan

University of Texas at Dallas

Phone: +(853) 8822 4226

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place