Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder associated with significant impairments in affective, cognitive and social functioning. Consequently, a special interest in the prevention of schizophrenia and psychotic disorders has emerged. Pharmacological as well as psychological interventions show promising preventive effects. The purpose of this multicentric study is the investigation of possible preventive effects of a treatment combination containing a psychotherapy form and medication (N-Acetylcytein - NAC) in individuals with an enhanced risk for developing schizophrenia. Both treatment forms may reduce the risk in this population due to their specific properties: The psychotherapy can improve social skills, whereas NAC is supposed to develop its protective effects on neuronal level due to its antiinflammatory properties. The investigators will examine the preventive effects by measuring transition rates to psychosis after treatment as well as improvements in social, affective and cognitive functioning.
Psychotic disorders are among the most expensive brain-related disorders in Europe. This is mainly due to their onset early in life and their long-term disabling courses. Current treatments fail to improve most influential factors such as social-cognitive deficits. Prevention is recognized as one of the key strategies to fight these deteriorating outcomes and is expected to significantly reduce both, the societal costs as well as the immense burden for the patients and for their families. Recent meta-analyses indicate promising preventive effects of both pharmacological and cognitive-behavioural interventions. Yet, reported transition rates are still too high. Clinical evidence suggests that disturbances of social functioning predict conversion to psychosis. Neurobiological evidence implicates glutamatergic dysfunction and redox imbalance in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The investigators hypothesize that interventions targeting (i) social functioning and (ii) glutamatergic / oxidative pathways already in at-risk states would significantly reduce transition rates. To test these hypotheses, our study is designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, 18-month trial (six months of intervention plus 12 months of follow-up), involving 200 subjects at-risk for psychosis. Specifically, the investigators will compare the preventive effects of a cognitive-behavioural and social-cognitive intervention to a pharmacological intervention (IPPI) with Acetylcysteine, a drug with a proglutamatergic, neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory profile in a 2x2 factorial design. The results of our planned study are expected to provide new and well tolerated interventions, thus hopefully helping to achieve the major goal of individualized prevention, and, consequently, lower the individual and societal burden of psychosis.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
48
N-Acetylcysteine (2000 mg/d, 1000 mg in the morning/evening, oral intake). Will be applied continously over 26 weeks parallel to the psychological intervention (IPPI or PSM).
Will be applied continously over 26 weeks (oral intake of capsules) parallel to the psychological intervention (IPPI or PSM).
IPPI (Integrated Preventive Psychological Intervention): 21 sessions, the first 20 sessions are scheduled weekly, the last session two weeks after session 20. Single blinded (statistician \& rater)
PSM (Psychological stress management): 11 sessions; the first 10 sessions will be offered biweekly, the last one 2 weeks after session 10. Single blinded (statistician \& rater).
Zentralinstitut für Gesundheit Mannheim
Mannheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
Universitätsklinik Tübingen
Tübingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
LMU Klinikum München
München, Bavaria, Germany
Uniklinik Aachen
Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Uniklinikum Bonn
Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Uniklinik Köln
Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
LVR Klinik Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Rheinhessen Fachklinik Alzey
Alzey, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Charité Berlin
Berlin, Germany
Berlin Vivantes
Berlin, Germany
Transition to psychosis
Transition to psychosis within 18 months, defined (according to EPOS1) as the presence of at least one psychotic symptom for at least one week (assessed by the SIPS).
Time frame: I. After intervention phase (26 weeks after trial start) and II. as follow-up (78 weeks after trial start)
Psychosocial functioning
Psychosocial functioning assessed by the SOFAS and the FROGS
Time frame: I. After intervention phase (26 weeks after trial start) and II. as follow-up (78 weeks after trial start)
Symptom remission
1\. Remission of symptomatic clinical high risk (CHR) criteria (APS/BLIPS and/or COGIDS); decrease of positive, negative and disorganization symptoms (assessed by the SIPS, BNSS score); conceptual disorganization and cognitive basic symptoms (COGDIS, SPI-A); as well as at-risk symptoms according to UHR (SPI-A);
Time frame: I. After intervention phase (26 weeks after trial start) and II. as follow-up (78 weeks after trial start)
Depression remission
Remission of depressive symptoms (measured by CDSS)
Time frame: I. After intervention phase (26 weeks after trial start) and II. as follow-up (78 weeks after trial start)
Improvement of social cognition
Improvement of social cognition (measured by SAT-MC I \& II, PoFA)
Time frame: I. After intervention phase (26 weeks after trial start) and II. as follow-up (78 weeks after trial start)
Assessment of safety and tolerability
Neurologic and general examination (medical history, weight, - adverse events (assessed by UKU SYMPTOM-LIST), Laboratory assessments
Time frame: I. After intervention phase (26 weeks after trial start) and II. as follow-up (78 weeks after trial start)
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