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
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 study uses brain tissue and lab-grown nerve cells from people who died with schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal dementia. Unaffected people are used as controls.
- Age
- Psychiatric disorders: age at death over 40. Neurodegenerative diseases: age at death over 50.
- Sex
- Both sexes. The share of women is set for each disease group (for example 23% in schizophrenia, 60% in Alzheimer's disease).
- Disease stage
- A doctor-confirmed diagnosis of schizophrenia (paranoid subtype only), major depression or bipolar disorder before death. Alzheimer's disease or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (C9orf72 repeat expansion carrier) confirmed on examination of the brain.
- Biomarker or test result
- Frontotemporal dementia: carrier of the C9orf72 repeat expansion.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Schizophrenia: other neurological or psychiatric conditions, such as a history of substance use disorder
- Time between death and tissue collection longer than 24 hours
Read by machine on 9 November 2026.
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.