Tests maintenance electroconvulsive therapy in clozapine-resistant schizophrenia after successful treatment
Tests repeated electroconvulsive therapy to prevent relapse in adults with schizophrenia not helped by clozapine.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Maintenance ElectroConvulsive Therapy in Clozapine RESISTant Schizophrenia - the MECT-RESIST Trial
Key facts
- Where
- Aachen, Augsburg, Göppingen, Göttingen, Hanover, Heidelberg, Ingolstadt, Mainz, Mannheim, München, Saarbrücken, Siegen, Tübingen, and Wiesloch, GermanySee the 14 sites
AI summary: who the study is looking for
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults aged 18 to 75 with schizophrenia that has not responded to clozapine, including people who cannot take clozapine. It tests maintenance electroconvulsive therapy (mECT).
- Age
- 18 to 75 years
- Sex
- All sexes
- Disease stage
- Current schizophrenia with a BPRS total score above 45, and a history of schizophrenia that did not respond to clozapine. This includes people who cannot tolerate clozapine or must not take it.
- Earlier treatment
- A history of clozapine-resistant schizophrenia. The summary says the trial studies patients who improved after a course of routine ECT.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Dementia (major neurocognitive disorder)
- Current severe substance-use disorder
- Affective disorder with psychotic symptoms, or any personality disorder
- Cannot read or write German
- Pregnant or breast-feeding, or a medical condition that rules out ECT
Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 75 years old?
Source: NCT06456983, who can take part
Where in Germany
- Dept. of Psychiatry, RWTU AachenAachen, GermanyContact: Thomas FrodlNot yet recruiting
- Dept. of Psychiatry, University of AugsburgAugsburg, GermanyContact: Alkomiet Hasan, Prof.Not yet recruiting
- Klinik für Psychiatrie, GöppingenGöppingen, GermanyContact: Nenad Vasic, Prof.Not yet recruiting
- Departmet of Psychiatry, University Medical Center GöttingenGöttingen, GermanyContact: David Zilles-WegnerNot yet recruiting
- Dept. of Psychiatry, Hannover Medical SchoolHanover, GermanyContact: Hannah Maier, Dr.Not yet recruiting
- Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Klinik für Allgemeine PsychiatrieHeidelberg, GermanyContact: Christian WolfNot yet recruiting
- Zentrum für Psychische GesundheitIngolstadt, GermanyContact: Thomas Pollmächer, Prof.Not yet recruiting
- Dept. of Psychiatry, University MainzMainz, GermanyContact: Klaus Lieb, Prof.Not yet recruiting
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH)Mannheim, GermanyContact: Alexander SartoriusTaking people
- Dept. of Psychiatry, LMU MünchenMünchen, GermanyContact: Oliver Pogarell, Prof.Not yet recruiting
- Clinic for Psychiatry, SaarbrückenSaarbrücken, GermanyContact: Ulrich Seidl, PDNot yet recruiting
- Klinik für Psychiatrie, SiegenSiegen, GermanyContact: Heiko Ullrich, Dr.Not yet recruiting
- Dept. of Psychiatry, University TübingenTübingen, GermanyContact: Sarah Kayser, Prof.Not yet recruiting
- Dept. of Psychiatry I, WieslochWiesloch, GermanyContact: Markus Schwarz, Dr.Not yet recruiting
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim
- Trial code
- NCT06456983
- Record updated
- 3 February 2026
- Original description
Schizophrenia is one of the most severe and costliest mental disorders in terms of human suffering and societal expenditure. About 15-30% of patients do not respond to all known antipsychotics, including clozapine, the current gold-standard in these cases. Hence, a recent Cochrane review stated that the quality of the existing studies is too poor to recommend any intervention in addition to clozapine and that new, randomized controlled trials independent from the pharmaceutical industry need to be performed to substantially improve patient care. Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was initially used to treat schizophrenia, it is nowadays by far underused in the therapy of schizophrenia in many countries. ECT is well known to be highly effective in clozapine-treatment-resistant schizophrenia (CRS), and synergistic effects of clozapine and ECT have been demonstrated. However, relapse rates after successful courses of ECT are still very high, and evidence for maintenance ECT (mECT) in CRS is scarce at best. In a multi-center trial the investigators aim to examine the effectiveness of mECT in treatment-resistant patients with schizophrenia who improved after a course of routine ECT. If mECT will lead to a later timepoint of relapse and/or to a higher proportion of relapse-free patients compared to those undergoing treatment as usual, this trial would have an enormous impact on therapeutic strategies for "treatment-resistant" patients and would induce a profound change of current treatment guidelines, where ECT still ranks at the level of ultima ratio, despite accumulating evidence suggesting otherwise.Read full original descriptionShow less
Maintenance ElectroConvulsive Therapy in Clozapine RESISTant Schizophrenia - the MECT-RESIST Trial
Schizophrenia is one of the most severe and costliest mental disorders in terms of human suffering and societal expenditure. About 15-30% of patients do not respond to all known antipsychotics, including clozapine, the current gold-standard in these cases. Hence, a recent Cochrane review stated that the quality of the existing studies is too poor to recommend any intervention in addition to clozapine and that new, randomized controlled trials independent from the pharmaceutical industry need to be performed to substantially improve patient care. Although electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was initially used to treat schizophrenia, it is nowadays by far underused in the therapy of schizophrenia in many countries. ECT is well known to be highly effective in clozapine-treatment-resistant schizophrenia (CRS), and synergistic effects of clozapine and ECT have been demonstrated. However, relapse rates after successful courses of ECT are still very high, and evidence for maintenance ECT (mECT) in CRS is scarce at best. In a multi-center trial the investigators aim to examine the effectiveness of mECT in treatment-resistant patients with schizophrenia who improved after a course of routine ECT. If mECT will lead to a later timepoint of relapse and/or to a higher proportion of relapse-free patients compared to those undergoing treatment as usual, this trial would have an enormous impact on therapeutic strategies for "treatment-resistant" patients and would induce a profound change of current treatment guidelines, where ECT still ranks at the level of ultima ratio, despite accumulating evidence suggesting otherwise.
Inclusion: Current schizophrenia according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), BPRS total score > 45 and history of clozapine resistant schizophrenia (CRS), which will include treatment-resistant schizophrenia with clozapine intolerance or absolute contraindications for clozapine.
Exclusion: Diagnosis of DSM-5 major neurocognitive disorder ("dementia"), current severe substance-use disorder, affective disorders with psychotic symptoms or any personality disorder; General medical condition contraindicating ECT; Inability to read/write German; Pregnancy or breast-feeding.