NCT07856381Recruiting
Understanding Lifespan Trajectories of Social Cognition, Brain Microstructure and Iron Dysregulation in Schizophrenia
SilverMinds - Lifespan Trajectories of Social Cognition and Iron Dysregulation in Schizophrenia
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 2 Oct 2026
Brief summary (registry, in English)
This study aims to better understand how schizophrenia may affect social thinking, emotion regulation, brain function, and biological processes over time. Two groups will take part in the study: 1. people diagnosed with schizophrenia 2. healthy adults without schizophrenia Participants in both groups will complete a series of behavioral tasks and questionnaires. These will assess abilities such as understanding other people, processing social information, and regulating emotions. For participants with schizophrenia, we will also assess clinical symptoms and their severity. The study includes three assessment visits: 1. Baseline: at the beginning of the study 2. 12-month follow-up: approximately one year later 3. 24-month follow-up: approximately two years later At all three visits, participants will complete behavioral tests and questionnaires, and blood and hair samples will be collected. These samples may help researchers investigate biological factors that are related to mental health, stress, and changes over time. Participants will also undergo an MRI brain scan at the baseline visit and again at the 12-month follow-up. People with schizophrenia may experience changes in thinking, emotions, social functioning, physical health, and brain function across adulthood. However, we still do not fully understand how these changes develop over time or how they differ from normal aging. By comparing people with schizophrenia with healthy adults of different ages and following them over time, we can study possible differences in aging trajectories. This means examining whether certain abilities, symptoms, biological markers, or brain characteristics change differently with age in people with schizophrenia. The study uses an accelerated longitudinal design. Instead of following one group of people for many decades, researchers recruit participants from different age groups and follow them for a shorter period. Combining information across these age groups can help researchers estimate longer-term patterns of change.
- Status (registry)
- Recruiting
- Study type
- Observational
- Enrollment
- 180 (estimated)
- First submitted
- 23 Sept 2026
- Start date
- 1 Sept 2026
- Primary completion date
- 30 Sept 2030
- Lead sponsor
- Medical University Innsbruck
- Diseases
- Schizophrenia
- NCT number
- NCT07856381
What you commit to
- Study type: Observational
- Planned participants: 180
- From 1 Sept 2026 to the primary completion date, 30 Sept 2030
- 1 site in 1 country
- Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them
Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.
Who cannot take part
Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.
Other illness
- incapacity to consent; current or lifetime history of brain surgery or epilepsy; MRI contraindications (unremovable metal parts in the upper body, active implants, claustrophobia); current or past substance abuse disorder (excluding caffeine and nicotine); pregnancy.
- any current or lifetime Axis I psychiatric disorder; first-degree relative with an Axis I disorder; any neurological disorder or other mental health condition; current or past use of psychotropic medication.
Other
- Additional Eligibility Criteria for Cycle-Timed Neuroimaging:
- To minimize hormonal confounding of emotion-regulation-related neural measures, menstruating female participants will be scanned in the early follicular phase (cycle days 1-6), requiring regular menstrual cycles (21-35 days) and a negative pregnancy test at relevant visits.
- Use of hormonal contraception will be recorded.
Who the study is looking for
- age 18-70 years at baseline; normal or corrected-to-normal vision; sufficient hearing; fluency in German; willingness and ability to understand and comply with study procedures. Participants must either be healthy adults without any mental health disorder (HC) or have a confirmed DSM-5 diagnosis of SZ.
- clinical stability at assessment, defined as no clinically significant change in psychopathological symptoms and no modification of pharmacotherapy for at least three months prior to study entry, as confirmed by the treating psychiatrist; full remission is not required.
Age in the registry: 18 years to 70 years · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers
Sites (1)
Sites in registry order. Pick your city on the disease page to sort them by distance.
| Site | City | Country | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology; Medical University of Innsbruck Coordinator of this site? Confirm its status | Innsbruck | Austria | Recruiting |
This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.