Studying Brain Synapse Damage in Mental Illness and Dementia
Studies brain tissue and lab-grown neurons from people with mood, psychiatric or memory disorders.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Understanding Mechanisms of Synaptic Degeneration Underlying Clinical Symptoms in Patients With MDs and NDs.
Key facts
- Where
- Barcelona, SpainSee the site
Where in Spain
- Research Institute Sant PauBarcelona, SpainNo longer taking part
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?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Fundació Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau
- Trial code
- NCT07234851
- Record updated
- 11 December 2025
- Original description
Clinical Study A. Retrospective Neuropathological Study of Synapse dysfunction.Read full original descriptionShow less
SYNAPSING's POSTMORTEM AND IN VITRO STUDIES OF SYNAPSE DYSFUNCTION
Clinical Study A. Retrospective Neuropathological Study of Synapse dysfunction.
This is a cross-sectional study of patients retrospectively collected from existing postmortem collections and from existing collections of iPSC-derived neurons. Postmortem tissue and iPSC-derived neurons from age and sex-matched unaffected volunteers without a MD or ND diagnosis are used as controls.
Inclusion: Age group: Midlife brain donors (age-at-death>40); Sex distribution: % Female in schizophrenia (23%), major depressive disorder and controls (40%), bipolar disorder and controls (55%). These percentages match those typically found in these disorders; Antemortem diagnosis of schizophrenia (paranoid-subtype diagnoses only to minimise the impact of potential confounding factors on the results and ensure homogeneity across schizophrenia subjects), major depression or bipolar disorder. Diagnoses are confirrmed antemortem by a psychiatrist using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) criteria, as recorded in the deceased individuals' medical records; Age group: Latelife brain donors (age-at-death>50); Sex distribution: Alzheimer's disease (60%), frontotemporal dementia (65%). These percentages match those typically found in these diseases; Neuropathological confirmation of Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (C9orf72 repeat expansion carrier)Alzheimer's disease.
Exclusion: For schizophrenia, cases displaying additional neurological or psychiatric conditions, such as histories of substance use disorder will be excluded. Postmortem delay >24h (to minimise perimortem confounding variables potentially affecting tissue quality; Postmortem delay >24h (to minimise perimortem confounding variables potentially affecting tissue quality.